Participants at OSCE-organized roundtable welcome amendments to Moldova’s hate crime legislation as first step in tackling the problem

A roundtable discussion on hate crime legislation in Moldova organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova in co-operation with the Moldovan Ministry of Justice brought together 27 representatives of the government, civil society and international organizations on 13 September 2016.

Participants at the roundtable event, held at the Ministry of Justice in Chisinau, exchanged good practices on legislation aimed at combating crimes motivated by prejudice, contempt or hatred, and also considered possible future challenges in this area. Special attention was given to addressing the rate of investigations into potential hate crimes, as well as to effective measures to ensure the proper application of hate crime legislation.

Discussions on recent draft amendments to Moldova’s hate crime legislation were shaped by the presentation of a legal opinion published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) earlier this year. 

“Strengthening the legal framework to fight bias-motivated crimes is a welcome step and signals Moldova’s firm stance on this issue,” said Anne-Lise Chatelain, Legislative Support Officer at ODIHR and author of the opinion. “At the same time, a true zero-tolerance approach must go beyond law-making to include awareness-raising campaigns, criminal justice training and the unequivocal public condemnation of such crimes.”

The roundtable discussion forms part of the Mission’s co-operation with the Moldovan Ministry of Justice and ODIHR to support Moldova’s legal reform efforts and bring these in line with international legal standards. To this end, in 2015 and 2016, Mission members actively supported a working group established by the Ministry of Justice tasked with drafting amendments to hate crime legislation.