In the Republic of Moldova, there are only 17 authorized sign language interpreters, but these can ensure the necessary assistance in all the hearings, consider Ala Bargan, specialist of the Association of the Deaf of the Republic of Moldova. The court should only ask for this two weeks before the trial.
In a news conference at IPN, Ala Bargan said that to read and understand a legal document, the hearing-impaired persons need the services of sign language interpreters, but this is not always ensured. As a result, the rights of these persons are violated. When the persons with hearing impairments sign a document, they are like children who believe in justice. “They are not illiterate. They just live in their own environment, communicate between them, use the sign language and in time forget the meaning of the word. There are many cases when the persons find themselves in litigation, but they don’t know why. If the police officer gives them a document, they consider they should sign it. They believe in justice and in a free state,” noted Ala Bargan.
Vitalie Mester, executive director of the Center of Legal Assistance for Persons with Disabilities, said the involvement of the sign language interpreter in the social inclusion of hearing-impaired persons is a necessity, a right that is guaranteed by law, not a whim. A person who does not know the language in which the hearing is held should be provided with an interpreter. The same refers to deaf persons, who should be assisted by a sign language interpreter. But this is not always done.
Many persons with disabilities do not know their rights and do not known that they can ask for an interpreter. Consequently, they find themselves in difficult situations. In the conference, there was related the case of Vera Cebotari, a hearing-impaired woman from Chisinau municipality who communicates exclusively in sign language and who couldn’t plead her case in court for the reason that she didn’t benefit from the services of a sign language interpreter in the trial. As a result, she can lose her home. It started from the signing of documents whose content Vera Cebotari didn’t understand very well. The notary, who saw that the woman does not hear, had to ensure the presence of an authorized sign language interpreter so as to exclude any conflict of interest or abuse, but didn’t do it, accepting to act as an intermediary in the communication with the person who had a power of attorney for pledging the apartment and who knew the sign language. The woman was thus one day visited by a bailiff, who told her that she has to leave her apartment as this will be put up for sale in order to clear a debt.
Lawyer Alexandru Cebanas said that an irrevocable decision was passed in 2014 by which the woman is dispossessed of her apartment. A number of applications were submitted, including to the Prosecutor’s Office, to have the legality of the actions taken by the players involved in this case determined. They also filed a request to review the decision of 2014 so that the woman regained her ownership rights. This was rejected and the Appeals Court is yet to pronounce.
About 300-400 persons with disabilities ask for legal assistance services annually.
