Moldova

In 2024, 43 police officers participated in two targeted training courses: "Particularities of Bias, Contempt, and Hate-Motivated Crimes: Investigation Techniques and Tactics" and "Equality and Non-Discrimination". An additional group of 23 officers completed the training course on "Identification and Documentation of Hate Speech". 42 mid-level police officials — including chiefs and deputy chiefs of Police Inspectorates — took part in two training sessions under the theme: "Specific Aspects of Identifying and Documenting Bias-Motivated Offenses and Hate Speech."

Four hybrid workshops were conducted on data collection and disaggregation methodologies, involving a total of 124 database operators. The aim of these sessions was to improve the accuracy and availability of disaggregated data relevant to hate crimes and discrimination, thereby enhancing institutional response capacity and evidence-based policymaking.

On 10 April 2024, a coordination meeting was held in Chișinău with representatives of state authorities and civil society organizations on collecting disaggregated hate crime data in Moldova. The event brought together key institutional stakeholders, including representatives of the General Police Inspectorate, the Technical Information Service (STI), the Prosecutor General’s Office, the National Bureau of Statistics, the Agency for Court Administration, the Ombudsperson's Office, the Equality Council, and the Audiovisual Council. The meeting aimed to facilitate inter-institutional dialogue and strengthen collaboration on improving national mechanisms for recording, analyzing, and reporting disaggregated data related to hate crimes. Participants discussed current challenges, gaps in coordination, and the need for standardized procedures and indicators to ensure accurate, consistent data collection in line with international human rights standards.

Seven workshops were organized to support the creation of local support networks for vulnerable groups exposed to discrimination and hate crimes. These events gathered eight participants from various sectors, including police officers, local public administration, social assistance services, and civil society activists from Călărași, Cimișlia, Soroca, and Dubăsari districts. The primary objective was to develop and strengthen mechanisms for providing assistance and protection to victims of such offences.

In June 2024, 14 trainers from the General Police Inspectorate, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the "Ștefan cel Mare" Academy participated in a specialized hate speech training. In August 2024, an online workshop supported by the Council of Europe reviewed several hate speech cases from Moldova to enhance understanding and response strategies.

On 25 and 26 June, a two-day training session for community mediators was held with the support of the Council of Europe and the Agency for Interethnic Relations. A police trainer led a session focused on combating racism, xenophobia, discrimination, and hate crimes against Roma communities. The module aimed to enhance mediators’ skills in preventing and addressing these issues.

In 2024, six in-service trainings were organized for judges, prosecutors, and other judicial actors, beneficiaries of the National Institute of Justice:

• Four seminars on peculiarities solving cases involving prejudice, contempt, or hate crimes in light of ECtHR’s case-law (98 participants, i.e., 18 judges, 21 prosecutors, 25 judicial assistants, 6 judicial clerks, 18 prosecutor’s advisers, 8 representatives of court staff, and 2 legal advisers;
• One seminar on practical aspects in investigating discrimination, hate speech, and bias-motivated crimes in Moldova (52 participants, i.e., 19 judges, 9 prosecutors, 12 judicial assistants, 1 representative of court staff, 11 criminal investigation officers); and
• One seminar on hate-motivated crimes: legal grounds, identification and sanctioning of cyber hate crimes (34 participants, i.e., 29 judges, 4 legal advisers, 1 member of the NIJ staff).

The General Police Inspectorate has strengthened cooperation with civil society through a series of strategic engagements, capacity-building activities, and inclusive dialogue platforms:

• Fostering Inclusive Dialogue through the "Felis_Conference":
  Two IGP representatives participated in the international Felis_Conference, organized by the GenderDoc-M Center, which focused on the challenges faced by parents of LGBTQI+ individuals. This engagement allowed law enforcement to gain deeper insight into the lived experiences of LGBTQI+ families and contributed to building empathy and awareness within the police force.
• Strengthening Electoral Integrity and Gender Equality:
  A police trainer contributed to the Third Roundtable on Combating Sexism, Hate Speech, and Gender-Based Violence during Elections, organized through the collaboration of six projects coordinated by the Council of Europe Office in Chișinău, the Central Electoral Commission, the Audiovisual Council, and UN Women Moldova. The event emphasized the importance of cross-sectoral cooperation to address hate speech and gender-based violence in the context of democratic processes.
• Building Trust with the LGBTIQ+ Community:
  A dedicated roundtable on communication between the General Police Inspectorate and the LGBTIQ+ community brought together 20 police officers and 18 civil society representatives. The event focused on enhancing cooperation, raising awareness about legal protections against hate speech and discrimination, and analyzing the obstacles faced by the LGBTIQ+ community in Moldova.

On 11 December, a high-level roundtable was convened to discuss recent developments in the investigation of discrimination, hate speech, and hate crimes. The event brought together 25 IGP personnel (including 21 in leadership roles) and representatives of the Equality Council. Discussions addressed trends observed during the electoral period, shared lessons learned, and explored opportunities to improve institutional frameworks and inter-agency cooperation.

With support from the Council of Europe, Moldova is implementing two projects on "Combating Discrimination, Hate Speech and Hate Crimes" and "Strengthening Diversity and Equality", developed as part of the EU–Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance (2023–2026). Building on earlier cooperation, the initiatives aim to strengthen national institutions, legal professionals, and civil society in preventing and responding to discrimination and hate crimes, in line with European and international human rights standards. Through legislative review, capacity-building, awareness-raising campaigns, and dialogue, the projects seek to align Moldova’s framework with the European Convention on Human Rights, foster trust between authorities and communities, and promote inclusive policies that protect all individuals from discrimination and hate-based violence. 

In February 2024, Guidance for police officers and investigating officers was presented to facilitate the application of the provisions of the Contravention Code on hate speech and incitement to discrimination. The guidance includes clear explanations and conceptual delineations of hate speech and/or incitement to discrimination, as well as an analysis of the conceptual delineations to other types of contraventions and offences.

In September 2024, the Council of Europe issued recommendations on modifying the forms used to record bias-motivated offences in order to streamline hate crime data collection in Moldova. Subsequently, online workshops were organized to implement follow-up actions. In October, an online working meeting was held with the subdivisions involved in disaggregating crime data , at which they discussed the need to amend Law 185/2020 on the automated information system for recording crimes, crime cases, and information about the perpetrators. In December 2024, a request was sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to include a new provision in Law no.185/2020.

Notable case:

On 8 February 2024, two men physically assaulted a man as he boarded a minibus. The victim was hit in the chest and had his headphones stolen. Audio recordings from the crime scene capture a hostile exchange involving threats of physical violence, discriminatory language, and aggressive behaviour. In particular, the perpetrators used racially offensive terms that indicated their hostility towards the victim's ethnicity and physical characteristics. This racist and discriminatory motive was also reported by the victim, who provided formal statements to this effect during the investigation. 

Both defendants were prosecuted and convicted in separate proceedings: the first was found guilty and sentenced to 3 years and 8 months of imprisonment, to be served in a semi-closed penitentiary, without an additional fine. The court also ordered the first defendant to pay the victim 13,000 MDL in material damages. The co-defendant was likewise found guilty of the same offence and received a 4.5-year custodial sentence, also to be served in a semi-closed penitentiary, with no fine imposed. The second defendant was also held civilly liable and ordered to pay the victim 13,000 MDL in material damages.