Moldova

Mr. Sarban was detained in the remand centre of the Centre for Fighting Economic Crime and Corruption (CFECC) between 12th November 2004 and 19th January 2005 for alleged abuse of power in relation to a purchase of 40 ambulances by the Chişinău Mayoralty. A CFECC officer later stated that the case against the applicant had been fabricated for political reasons. Mr. Sarban made numerous appeals for release based on his bad state of health, his irreproachable conduct during the investigation and the unlikelihood of his leaving the country. They were all refused by the courts.

In 2005 the authorities in Chișinău, Moldova, banned a march planned by an LGBT organisation, to deliberately discourage the promotion of LGBT rights. In 2012 the European Court of Human Rights held that the ban was discriminatory and breached the right to peaceful assembly (art.11 ECHR).

The case of Genderdoc is an example of how NGOs - through engagement with national authorities and submissions to the Committee of Ministers - can ensure that proper information is provided in the implementation process, that monitoring continues while it is still needed, that adequate reforms can be adopted, and that a judgment can lead to rights in practice.

Hyde Park and Others v. Moldova

Free speech NGOs organised a series of protests in Chişinău. However, the authorities banned the events, giving reasons such as the fact that they disagreed with the point the protest was making. The European court ruled that the bans violated the right to free assembly. Following these cases, significant reforms were made to protect freedom of assembly in Moldova - such as new law which established much stronger protections for the right to hold public gatherings. Freedom of Assembly in Moldova is still being monitored by NGOs and the Council of Europe.