The president of the Constitutional Court Domnica Manole requested the Venice Commission to pronounce on the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention. “The approach was made in the context of the public sphere discussions about the alleged unconstitutionality of the law to ratify the Convention,” says a press release issued by the CC. The Venice Commission will present its opinion in December, IPN reports.
Moldova’s Parliament ratified the Convention on October 14. The MPs of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists boycotted the vote. On October 20, President Maia Sandu promulgated the law to ratify the Convention.
The Orthodox Church of Moldova also argued against the ratification of the Istanbul Convention. After the law was promulgated, Bishop Markel of Bălți and Fălești signed a decree ordering that the priests of the Diocese of Bălți and Fălești should not mention the senior state officials in their Sunday prayers.
The Convention was adopted by the Council of Europe on May 11, 2011. The Republic of Moldova signed it on February 6, 2017, but its ratification was put off for several times. According to the authorities, financial resources will be allocated for ensuring the functionality of crisis centers for victims of violence, for creating emergency hotlines and shelters for such victims. Moldova is the 35th Council of Europe member state (out of 47) that ratified this document.
