Moldova Government is to pay a citizen EUR 20,000 for human rights abuses

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has found guilty, on June 19, the Government of Moldova in the cases of “Ciorap v. Moldova” and “Botnari v. Moldova”, obliging it to pay the plaintiffs a total of nearly EUR 25,000. One of the plaintiffs, Tudor Ciorap, currently held in a remand centre in Chisinau, was convicted of a number of crimes but is still remanded on other charges. Ciorap complained about inhuman conditions of detention, force-feeding during his hunger strikes and the refuse of the domestic authorities to examine his complaint concerning his force-feeding. In addition, Ciorap complained about censorship of correspondence, the obstruction of his right to meet his family in private and the lack of access to the internal regulations of the remand centre. The Court held that there have been violations of articles 3 (prohibition of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment), 6 § 1 (right of access to court), 8 (interference in personal life and censorship of correspondence). For these violations, the Government must pay Ciorap EUR 20,000 for non-pecuniary damage and EUR 1,150 in respect of costs and expenses. In the case of Botnari v. Moldova, the Court held that there have been violations of articles 6 § 1 and 13 (right to an effective remedy). The plaintiff, Andrei Botnari, who is a public prosecutor, requested the Municipal Council to provide him with an apartment, in agreement with the legislation. In 2000, the domestic court ordered the Council to provide Botnari with an apartment, but the council failed to comply with the judgment. The Court obliged the Government to pay the plaintiff EUR 2,100 for non-pecuniary damage and costs. So far, the Moldovan Governmen has lost 60 cases in Strasbourg, being obliged to pay damages of roughly EUR 800,000.