A tailor-made training for 51 judges, prosecutors, and judicial staff in the Republic of Moldova was organised to support them further in the identification of prejudices and stereotypes, legal practice in handling discrimination cases, as well as working with the victims of hate speech and bias-motivated offences. The training was based on relevant European Court of Human Rights case law.
Council of Europe resources, including the recent Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on combating hate speech, the Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on combating hate crime, and other relevant European standards in the field, were used during the training.
Participants got familiar with relevant domestic cases, and had the opportunity to participate in practical exercises on judicial redress for discrimination cases, discussing ways of improving established working methods. A significant focus was put on the existing national jurisprudence, addressing issues such as how to ensure a better access to justice for the citizens, and improving the support to the victims of discrimination. Some recent cases of hate speech and incitement to discrimination in the context of the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova were also analysed.
At the end of the training, organised in co-operation with the National Institute of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, participants identified the need to continue with training activities but also further develop a dialogue between different actors in the law enforcement system to ensure further improvements, efficient and robust response to cases of hate speech, hate crimes and discrimination.
This event is part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in the framework of the project “Combating discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Republic of Moldova”.
