Moldova loses again at ECHR for not observing human rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned Moldova in a new case Tuesday, March 13. In the case “Castravet vs. Moldova”, Chisinau was found guilty of violating the provisions of Article 5 of the European Convention, which stipulates the right to liberty and security. The plaintiff, Andrei Castravet, was arrested in May 2005 by the Centre for Fighting Economic Crime and Corruption (CFECC) on charges of embezzlement. The applicant complained about his five-month detention on remand, though the Court considered that the reasons for his detention were not relevant and sufficient. Castravet also accused Moldova of the fact that that he was unable to confer in private with his lawyers due to a glass partition in the CFECC lawyer-detainee meeting room. The Court held that there had been a violation of Article 5 § 4. Mr Castravet was awarded 2,500 euros (EUR) in respect of non-pecuniary damage and EUR 2,000 for costs and expenses. Moldova was condemned for violation of the Convention’s provisions in over 50 cases so far and was obliged to pay pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages and court expenses totalling over EUR 700,000.