The report, an annual review of human rights practices – such as individual, civil, political and labour rights – says that while the Moldovan authorities have taken some steps to combat corruption, they have been largely unsuccessful.

The report argues that judicial independence remained a serious problem due to corruption and “selective justice, where the law was not applied equally to all and was often applied selectively for political reasons.”

“Selective justice remained a problem, and lawyers complained of cases where their clients were denied due process. Several prominent politicians detained during the year cited selective justice and abuse of their right to a fair trial,” the report said.

Judicial reform activists noted in the report that judges routinely postpone hearings indefinitely for wealthy defendants or well-connected defendants, a practice believed to be linked to personal corruption by judges.

Detainees were also subjected to torture and inhuman treatment by police, both in state detention centres and in public places.

«Many cases classified by the authorities as alleged torture took place in public places as a result of physical or psychological ill-treatment by police, carabinieri or border guards who initially confronted people, or by law enforcement officers called to the scene,” the report said.

Media representatives and NGOs also expressed their concerns in the report about the restrictions that have been placed on access to information, saying that due to the lack of a search function, they cannot find the names of people involved in court cases and cannot identify who is judging or initiating the process. This leads to a significant deficit in terms of judicial transparency.

Conditions in prisons and detention centres

Conditions in most prisons and detention centres remained harsh due to overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions, lack of privacy, little or no access to outdoor exercise, and lack of facilities for persons with disabilities.

Harsh physical conditions: human rights organisations, members of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture and the Ombudsman reported overcrowding, poor lighting and ventilation, noise, lack of minimum standards of detention, inadequate medical care and lack of medical staff and medical services in most places of detention. . chronic understaffing in prisons has led to a reliance on informal hierarchies, often through violence, to maintain control over prisoners.

Conditions at Penitentiary No. 13 in Chisinau were reportedly the worst in the country. Prison officials stated that they closed basement cells, which prisoners had previously complained did not meet national or international standards. Allegations of inhumane treatment persisted. Some cells were overcrowded, unsanitary and lacked ventilation. The authorities called for the closure of the facility and the construction of a new prison, but no construction took place within a year.

Violence and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics :

While LGBTQI+ persons reported improved respect for their rights during the year, they nevertheless continued to experience verbal harassment and discrimination by state officials, particularly local officials, opposition party leaders, and religious leaders.

Transnistria:

In Transnistria, several known political prisoners remained in custody or were serving sentences. Most political prisoners were arrested for exercising freedom of speech and assembly on charges of criticising the “authorities”. Transnistrian “authorities” used the “Strategy on Combating Extremism for 2020-2026” as a pretext to use additional repressive tools to suppress dissent and suppress fundamental freedoms. The de facto authorities did not allow international organisations access to political prisoners, with very few exceptions.

 

Source: US Department of State