Clerks from Moldovan courts participated in an online training course on how to deal with cases of discrimination, through the perspective of the European Convention for Human Rights and the national legislation. 

The training focused on the prohibition of discrimination under the European Convention for Human Rights, Moldovan legislation, and elements of discrimination in the European Court of Human Rights case law.

On 13 October 2021 a seminar on the procedure for the examination of motions on the application and extension of constraint measures was organized by the Council of Europe Project “Strengthening the human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova” in cooperation with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) of Moldova.

The seminar brought together judges and prosecutors, who built their skills in applying and reasoning the concept of reasonable suspicion in the procedures for the application of pre-trial detention and house arrest. The participants updated their knowledge on the recent European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) standards and case-law related to Article 5 in the context of Covid-19 pandemic situation. 

The Council of Europe, in co-operation with the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training within the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova (CCET), is working on a roadmap for accreditation of the CCET as an educational institution in line with the relevant legislation of the Republic of Moldova.

The Council of Europe Project Improving Electoral Practice in the Republic of Moldova, Phase II will aid the CCET in the self-assessment process and quality of its training programmes. Finally, the experience on the accreditation will be analysed in the countries with similar electoral training bodies.

The Action against Corruption in the Republic of Moldova presented the results of the assessment of the national framework and internal practices of the Judicial Inspection during an online roundtable on 13 October 2021. The event was attended by representatives of the Superior Council of Magistracy and its professional boards, the Ministry of Justice, development partners and civil society organizations.

The event facilitated an exchange of opinions between the national authorities and Council of Europe experts on possible mechanisms to further consolidate the national framework and existing practices on the activity of the Judicial Inspection in line with GRECO recommendations and international good practices. 

On 5 October 2021 the Council of Europe Project “Strengthening the Human Rights Compliant Criminal Justice System in the Republic of Moldova” held an online round table to discuss the principles of humanization and liberalization of criminal policies and criminal law.

The humanisation of criminal law and criminal justice and the promotion of human rights compliant criminal justice system has been among key priorities within the reforms of the justice sector in the Republic of Moldova since many years. Numerous amendments introduced to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code over the last years emphasize the commitment of the country to establishing a more humane approach to criminal sentencing.

More than 40 participants, including judicial assistants, registrars and prosecutors’ consultants from the Republic of Moldova participated in a one-day training course on combating hate crime. The training was carried out by the regional project “Strengthening access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in the Eastern Partnership” in co-operation with the National Institute of Justice of the Republic of Moldova.

The training aimed to increase the knowledge and abilities related to cases of hate crimes, including the national regulation and international practice in the field, and to develop specific competences in working with victims of hate crimes.

On 8 October 2021 members of the National Preventive Mechanism and representatives of the People’s Advocate Office participated in an online round table on presentation of good practices by the members of the Council for the Prevention of Torture of the Republic of Moldova achieved during the implementation of their mandate.

The round table gathered human rights lawyers, representatives of the civil society and international organisations, representatives of the Ministry of Justice and Parliamentary Committees for human rights and inter-ethnic relations and Legal Committee for appointments and immunities, and other stakeholders.

The first consultation meeting on the progress in piloting the Risks and Needs Assessment (RNA) tool for prisoners and offenders ARIC (Assessment of Reintegration, Intervention and Conclusion) in 4 selected prisons and 4 probation offices was conducted online on 04-05 October 2021.

This meeting allowed prison and probation staff to provide comprehensive feedback on the completed questionnaires of the RNA tool. The purpose of the RNA tool is to ensure a smooth transition of prisoners released from prison to probation supervision.

On 1 October 2021 an online seminar on standards of Article 5 of the ECHR during the application of preventive measures was organized for free legal aid lawyers in cooperation with the National Institute of Justice of the Republic of Moldova.

The seminar focused on pre-trial detention and aimed to build the free legal aid lawyers’ skills in interpreting and applying the standards of Article 5 of the ECHR during the application of the preventive measures. The participants also got acquainted with the relevant requirements of ECtHR standards and case-law in regard to medical treatment of persons in pre-trial detention.

During both events participants were familiarized with the theoretical and practical aspects on child protection, international and national regulations, basics of an internal child protection procedure and examples of good practices.