Decision of Balti Council is illegal and should be annulled, Nondiscrimination Coalition

The Nondiscrimination Coalition considers the Balti Municipal Council’s decision to ban the holding of homosexuals’ parades is illegal and demands that it be annulled as it against the Constitution, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a communiqué from the Coalition. According to the communiqué, the Council’s decision runs counter to the constitutional principles that guarantee equality before the law for all the people, the freedom of conscious, the separation of denominations from the state and the freedom of association and assembly. “Taking into account this and the provisions of the international treaties to which Moldova is a party, this decision can be described as illegal and discriminatory. It will lead to the marginalization and limitation of the rights of certain social categories, according to such criteria as religion and sexual orientation. At the same time, the adopted decision conveys a clear message to the residents of Balti – you can freely discriminate against these categories,” says the communiqué. The Coalition also says that the decision will seriously affect the right to information and the freedom of expression as there is instituted censorship in the mass media. The Nondiscrimination Coalition demands that the Council annuls this decision. It calls on the central public authorities to react promptly and not allow flagrantly violating the supreme law. If the decision is not annulled, the Coalition will go to court to restore the legality and prevent the creation of such dangerous precedents. On February 23, the Balti Municipal Council adopted the initiative to ban homosexuals’ parades in Balti.