Înapoi The integrity of Moldovan self-administrative bodies of judges and prosecutors supported through enhanced open-source investigation

The integrity of Moldovan self-administrative bodies of judges and prosecutors supported through enhanced open-source investigation

Responding to a country-specific request from the pre-vetting Secretariat of the Republic of Moldova, the joint European Union, and Council of Europe regional project “Strengthening measures to prevent and combat economic crime” offered a training on open-source investigation and web crawling to all newly appointed analysts of the institutions in Chisinau on July 20-21.

The pre-vetting Secretariat of the Republic of Moldova has been recently established to support the evaluation mechanism of judges and prosecutors, and in particular the assessment of the integrity of the candidates for the Superior Council of the Magistracy and the Superior Council of Prosecutors. The role of these self-administrative bodies is essential in guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary, and therefore in enhancing citizens’ trust in rule of law.

The training for the analysts undertaking this evaluation focused on how to access, analyse, and report on the information that is publicly available through social media and on the internet on the candidates. Topics such as the regulatory framework to undertake such analysis, but also how to remain safe during the investigation, and how to report on results were part of the training. Core discussions focused on the gathering and examination of data. Five Council of Europe experts, two of whom in person and three on-line, contributed to this training which was eminently practical and hands-on.

The training was very timely as the pre-vetting Secretariat had just started operating. The Secretariat will submit its findings to the ad hoc Commission that is to evaluate the integrity of the candidates for the Superior Council of the Magistracy and the Superior Council of Prosecutors of the Republic of Moldova. By supporting the work of the Secretariat, the training will help to enhance the information that will be made available to the Commission, hence allowing for a better-informed decision on the candidates, and ultimately for a stronger judiciary in Moldova and enhanced rule of law in the country.

This activity was organised within the framework of the project “Strengthening measures to prevent and combat economic crime in the Eastern Partnership Region,” funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in their Partnership for Good Governance II 2019-2022.

Republic of Moldova 21 July 2022
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Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
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Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of Equality Bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region

A two-day workshop on addressing hate speech and hate crime took place at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, involving Equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions.  The event supported by the EU and Council of Europe, gathered 50 representatives from both regions who discussed and exchanged on the best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy, raising awareness and supporting victims equality bodies play a fundamental role in protecting human rights and ensuring that all individuals are treated equally.

In her opening remarks, Angela Longo, Head of Anti-discrimination Co-operation Unit, Council of Europe, underlined the significant progress in engaging with Equality Bodies through this network, regularly exchanging best practices and addressing the challenges of hatred and intolerance in societies. She highlighted that this new chapter of discussion delves into the grey area between hate speech and hate crime, addressing issues of incitement and biases,

Representatives from Equality Bodies had the opportunity to discuss and enhance their knowledge on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation to member States on combating hate crime, adopted on 7th May 2024, as well as gain a clearer understanding of EU standards in the field of hate crime. Moreover, participants engaged in exchanges with peers from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE), who shared insights on addressing hate speech in the public discourse. The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) in Italy provided practical examples for developing counter-narratives and raising awareness initiatives.

They also explored opportunities to advocate for legislative reform, foster multisectoral co-operation, enhance data collection, and overall improve national mechanisms to counter hate crimes.

This seminar was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe  under the joint Programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

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