In 2023, 13 training courses were held for 285 employees of the police force (132 criminal investigation officers and 153 public security police officers, investigation, escort, and field officers). Participants were trained on the following: the role in working with vulnerable communities; hate crimes, equality and non-discrimination; identifying hate speech in context; practical aspects of examining, qualifying and documenting cases of discrimination; incitement to discrimination, hate speech and instigation to violence; and the specifics of qualifying and documenting violations and offences motivated by prejudice and hate speech.
In February 2023, 19 police officers completed a training course for trainers on hate crimes and intolerance against LGBTI+ persons, with a special focus on victim support.
In February, three online workshops were held to improve the processing of information on hate crimes by police in the Automated Integrated Information System for Recording Offences, Criminal Cases and Offenders. A total of 141 operators from the north, south and central regions of Moldova took part in the workshops and were informed of the latest procedural and legal updates.
Six training activities on prejudice, contempt and hate crimes were organized by the National Institute of Justice, and were attended by 36 judges, 31 prosecutors, eight lawyers involved in state-guaranteed legal assistance, 30 judicial assistants, six judicial clerks, 22 prosecutor's advisers, three representatives of court staff and one head of court chancellery. The training activities drew on case law of the European Court of Human Rights.
An e-course on hate speech was provided on the HELP distance-learning platform for one judge, two prosecutors, 13 judicial assistants, eight prosecutor's advisers, five representatives of court staff, one National Institute of Justice (NIJ) trainer and one NIJ representative. The e-course was a mandatory part of the in initial training provided to judges and prosecutors in 2023.
Futhermore, a training-of-trainers workshop on the accountability for hate speech was organized in partnership with the OHCHR and attended by five judges, five prosecutors and five lawyers involved in state-guaranteed legal assistance.
In 2023, Moldova's National Police increased its co-operation with civil society organizations working in the area of hate crime. With the support of an expert from the Jewish Community, there were two online sessions for 80 police officers on topics related to recognizing and combating anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. Contacts points within the Jewish Community and National Police ensure that there is continuous communication and monitoring of all cases/crimes reported by the Jewish Community. The National Police also work with representatives of other vulnerable communities, including Roma and LGBTI people.
This category includes cases recorded as motivated by bias against 'national origin' and 'language difference'.
The UN CERD published relevant recommendations in its "Concluding observations on the combined twelfth to fourteenth periodic reports of the Republic of Moldova".
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published relevant recommendations in its "European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) - Final report on the Republic of Moldova adopted on 2 July 2024 by ECRI at its 95th plenary meeting (2-5 July 2024)".
ODIHR recognizes Moldova's efforts to enhance the capacity of law enforcement and criminal justice officials to address hate crime. In addition, ODIHR observes that Moldova's hate crime recording and statistics do not sufficiently distinguish hate crimes from other crimes. In addition, ODIHR observes that Moldova would benefit from developing its victim support system to ensure effective access to justice, assistance, and protection services for hate crime victims.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States agreed to a definition of hate crime shared by all OSCE participating States, and committed to collecting reliable data and statistics on hate crimes. To that end, hate crimes need to be distinguished throughout the recording and data collection process from discrimination and hate speech. Participating States also committed to providing hate crime victims with access to counselling and legal assistance, as well as effective access to justice. Ensuring a positive interaction between police and hate crime victims requires the training of front-line officers, including on providing referrals to victim support and protection services.
ODIHR stands ready to support Moldova in meeting the relevant commitments through the provision of comprehensive resources and tailored assistance in the area of hate crime recording and data collection, as well as through further comprehensive resources and assistance in the area of hate crime victim support.
🛈 Please note that the total number of incidents may be lower than the sum of incidents presented in the breakdown chart above, as some incidents involve multiple bias motivations.
🛈 ODIHR no longer presents descriptions of property attacks in the incident tables below. Data on property attacks are presented in the breakdown charts above. One property attack may target multiple properties or involve multiple types of attack.