Though sentences jailing those who used torture were passed in Moldova for the first time in 2014, the impunity for the illegalities committed by the police remains a significant system problem, says the annual report on human rights presented by Amnesty International on February 25, IPN reports.
In its report, Amnesty International says that after the events of April 2009, of the 102 complaints registered officially by the Prosecutor General’s Office, criminal cases were started in 58 of the cases and only 31 were examined by courts. A number of 27 police officers were put on probation. At the end of 2013, a policeman was acquitted in the case concerning Valeriu Boboc, who died as a result of the use of violence in April 2009.
The statute of limitations of five years in the case of misuse of power by the police in April 2009 expired in April 2014. Thus, a significant number of people suspected of using torture in April 2009 will no longer be punished criminally. At the end of 2014, the European Court of Human Rights found Moldova guilty of use of torture during the April 2009 events in seven cases, namely of committing serious violations as regards efficient investigation, including ignoring of vital evidence.
For the first time last year, three police officers were sentenced to three years in jail for using torture against two persons in 2011. Also in 2014, the equality march of the LGBT community of Moldova was staged successfully, with the police protecting the participants and preventing clashes with the aggressive groups that opposed holding the march.
Despite these positive developments, the Law on the Equality of Chances that took effect in January 2013 does not fully meet the international standards. It does not mention the sexual orientation and gender identity when it bans discrimination, except for the chapter concerning discrimination at work. Also, the police didn’t manage to appropriately investigate the multiple attacks on activists of the LGBT community, says the report made public by Amnesty International.
