Council of Europe’s experts call on the Parliament of Moldova to pass Draft Law No. 109 on Non-Commercial Organizations

”The draft Law, if adopted in its current version, would be a welcome improvement on the current regulation of non-profit legal entities, creating a single instrument governing all types of them and addressing a number of existing problems for them”. This is the statement of the Council of Europe’s experts, Anna RURKA, President of the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) and Jeremy McBRIDE, President of the Expert Council on NGO Law. The experts launched today, 7 May 2020, a public call to the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova to pass Draft Law No. 109 on Non-Commercial Organizations (NCO).

The European experts highlight the provisions of the new draft law that would:

  • Enable all individuals, whatever their citizenship or residence, to found and be members of associations, as well as to become their managers/leaders and members of their control bodies;
  • Extend to all types of legal entities the possibility of establishing associations;
  • Remove certain limitations on state officials belonging to associations or their control bodies; and
  • Restrict the scope for state officials to interfere in the internal operation of associations.

The experts consider that the provisions of the draft Law are in line with the European standards on freedom of association and that their adoption would facilitate the free exercise of this right in the Republic of Moldova. Moreover, the adoption of the draft Law would serve as a good example for other countries in the region. The experts recall the importance underscored in Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)11 of the Committee of Ministers to all Council of Europe member States ensuring an enabling legal framework and a conducive political and public environment for civil society organisations.

The call was launched in the context of the finalization by the Commission for Legal Matters, Appointments and Immunities of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova of draft Law No. 109 on Non-commercial organizations passed in the first reading in May 2018. The Call in English is available here: .

On 30 April 2020, more than 40 civil society organizations addressed a similar public appeal to Parliament, calling to pass the draft in the final reading, to bar any amendments that could impede nonprofits’ work, and to consult with civil society organizations about any proposed amendment to the draft law in a transparent and inclusive way.

PUBLIC STATEMENT: Politicians must halt intimidation of judges

The signatory organizations express their deep concern regarding the attacks launched by politicians against the Constitutional Court and the judiciary and urge to end them immediately. We ask the Office of the Prosecutor General to investigate ex-officio, expeditiously and diligently the suspicions concerning the surveillance of the Constitutional Court judges and to provide public details regarding the undertaken actions. We also urge mass-media to report on the judiciary in an impartial manner respecting ethical norms. We urge the development partners to monitor closely the current situation around the Constitutional Court and attacks on judges.

In recent weeks, the President of the country, Igor DODON and some MP’s from the governing parties have made several public statements that could be considered attacks against the Constitutional Court and the judiciary.

A. Attacks against judges of the Constitutional Court

The pressure exerted on judges of the Constitutional Court was revealed by a MP from the opposition on 25 April 2020. According to him, the constitutional judges were visually oversight by two state institutions. On 28 April 2020, the Office of the Prosecutor General stated in a press release that it had not started any criminal proceedings and had not authorized special investigative measures regarding the judges of the Constitutional Court. It is also mentioned in the press release that the MP will be invited to the prosecutor's office to present the evidence and get explanations about the responsibility for the false or slanderous denunciation. The press release seems to be rather an intimidation of the MP, who publicly revealed the information about the surveillance of judges, than the concern for investigation of the raised facts. On 29 April 2020, the Chairperson of the Legal Committee for Appointments and Immunities of the Parliament requested the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM) to launch disciplinary proceedings against and sanction three judges of the Constitutional Court. The application referred to the disclosure of the way the former President of the Constitutional Court was elected in August 2019. On 30 April 2020, the President of the Constitutional Court stated that four judges of the Constitutional Court suspect that they were surveilled and that they would request the prosecutors to investigate these suspicions.

It seems that the pressure on the judges is determined by the Constitutional Court examination of the constitutionality of the loan agreement with the Russian Federation, suspended by the Court on 23 April 2020. Moreover, the pressures seem to have been fuelled by the dismissal of the former MP from the Party of Socialists, Mr. Vladimir ȚURCAN, from the position of the President of the Constitutional Court on 23 April 2020. The dismissal took place following hisdiscussion with the President Igor DODON regarding the decision to suspend the loan agreement. Shortly after Mr. Țurcan dismissal, a leading representative of the Party of Socialists declared that the „Plahotniuc-Șor Group” had regained control over the Constitutional Court, and the parliamentary opposition was involved in this reshuffle. In the following days, the media affiliated with the governing alliance published biased articles on the integrity of the new President of the Constitutional Court. On 28 April 2020, the Constitutional Court issued a press release denouncing the media attacks against it. On 4 May 2020, the Plenary of the Constitutional Court notified the Office of the Prosecutor General regarding the statements for the press of some public persons and the alleged shadowing and intimidation against some judges of the Court.

B. Attacks against other judges

Members of the Government used offensive remarks expressions against judges. According to these statements, the judges are a "corrupt gang" that uses the system to obtain privileged retirement benefits and high salaries. The attacks on the judiciary have intensified after the adoption on 18 February 2020 of the decision by the ECtHR in the "Gemenii" case, according to which the Government was obliged to pay damages of over EUR 3.6 million. On 20 February 2020, the Prime Minister Ion CHICU asked the Minister of Finance to initiate the procedure of reducing the budget of the judiciary by MDL 70 million. On 23 April 2020, the Law on the State Budget was amended, reducing the budget of the judiciary by that amount. However, so far no recourse actions have been initiated against the judges involved in the "Gemenii" case. On the contrary, the process of changing recourse action against judges liable for ECtHR judgments was launched, unjustifiably insinuating that the current legislation does not allow claiming for compensation from judges who have violated the law in bad faith.

In a recent interview, the former interim Chairperson of the SCM, Dorel MUSTEAȚĂ, stated that politicians put pressures on him to resign, by launching a criminal case against his brother. Mr. Musteață declared that pressure was also exerted on other members of the SCM and that they would have been suggested to resign from office.

Attacks or intimidation of judges cannot be accepted. Judges must be independent. This is one of the main guarantees of the rule of law, respect for the rights and safety of citizens, as well as social equity. The best sign of the independence of judges is that they do not take decisions to the likes of the politicians. The best example of a dependent judiciary in democracies in the making is the lack of decisions unfavourable to the country's leadership and praising of judges and prosecutors by politicians.

In a fragile democracy, even public attacks by politicians are enough to discourage judges. This does not mean that judges cannot be criticized for their behaviour, but the criticism need to be done with discretion, based on reliable information and in good faith. Orchestrated campaigns to discredit judges cannot be accepted under any circumstances.

The Republic of Moldova does not have a political tradition of respecting the independence of judges. Politicians often attack the judiciary either through statements or by other measures or try to compromise the independence of the judiciary. The SCM and the Constitutional Court must act in their defence, and prosecutors must investigate ex officio and thoroughly any attempt to shadow or intimidate judges or prosecutors.

The signatory organizations urge:

  1. Politicians - to cease the attacks on the Constitutional Court and the judiciary;
  2. The Office of the Prosecutor General - to investigate ex-officio, thoroughly and promptly the suspicions concerning the surveillance of the Constitutional Court judges and to provide public details regarding the undertaken actions;
  3. Mass-media - to report impartially and in good faith on the situation in the justice sector, including on the activity of the Constitutional Court;
  4. Development partners - to monitor closely the current situation around the Constitutional Court, as well as the attacks of politicians and actions or inactions of law enforcement institutions against judges and prosecutors.

Signatory organizations:

  1. Legal Resources Centre from Moldova (LRCM),
  2. Institute for European Policy and Reforms (IEPR),
  3. Amnesty International Moldova (AIM),
  4. WatchDog Community,
  5. Association for Participatory Democracy “ADEPT”,
  6. Promo-LEX Association,
  7. East Europe Foundation,
  8. Institute for Public Policy (IPP),
  9. Centre for Policies and Reforms (CPR),
  10. Soros Foundation-Moldova,
  11. Association for Efficient and Responsible Governance (AGER).

Consultant/team of consultants needed to deliver a two-day online training on Project Proposals Writing / EU Proposals Writing

1. BACKGROUND

The Legal Resources Centre from Moldova (LRCM) is a non-profit organization that contributes to strengthening democracy and the rule of law in the Republic of Moldova with emphasis on justice and human rights. Our work includes research and advocacy. We are independent and politically non-affiliated.

This activity will be carried out under the project Promoting the Rule of Law in Moldova through Civil Society Oversight, with the financial support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

2. PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT

LRCM seeks to contract a consultant / team of consultants (hereinafter referred to as - the Consultant) to deliver a two-day online training on Project Proposals Writing for the LRCM team. The training aims to enhance LRCM team’s skills and knowledge on how to design competitive projects, with a particular focus on the European Commission/EU funding & tender opportunities (including the EIDHR instrument). The training with a maximum duration of sixteen (16) working hours shall be conducted online, preferably on 25-26 June 2020. The exact period/date will be set by common agreement between the LRCM team and the selected consultant.

The training shall mainly address the following topics / issues related to theoretic and practical aspects of Project Proposals Writing for successful grant applications. The list of topics is illustrative and not exhaustive. The consultant should suggest additional/other topics considered relevant to the purpose of the training.

The training shall be structured as follows:

LOT I – Introduction to Project Proposals Writing

(the first day of the training) shall focus on, but no limited to:

  • Designing project proposals: What are the essential elements of a project proposal? How to better structure a project proposal?;
  • How to understand the donors’ requirements and expectations? (a desired emphasis on the donors present in the Republic of Moldova is expected);
  • Planning project proposals: How to create a project proposal needs analysis and adequate solutions with the project idea;
  • How to plan and estimate level of effort, timing, versus the expected result;
  • Budgeting: How to prepare accurate and realistic budgets;
  • Partnerships & contacts – the particularity of joint applications.

LOT II - EU funded Project Proposals Writing

(the second day of the training) shall focus on the writing project proposals funded by the EU, but not limited to:

  • Translation of EU priorities into our own research interests and vice versa;
  • Awareness to award criteria;
  • Making a workplan from a to z;
  • How to deal with a low success rate;
  • How to assure a high EU added value;
  • Important steps in the writing process / specific EU criteria;
  • Preparing an appropriate and relevant budget

3. KEY DELIVERABLES

The Consultant shall provide the following deliverables:

  • The suggested training agenda;
  • Delivery of the training course for an expected audience of +-10 people through online means;  
  • A project writing toolkit/series of templates designed for LRCM, which assist the team when writing project applications.

4. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CONSULTANT

The Consultant (company or individual) shall have proven experience in conducting similar activities with at least 5 years of experience. Additional requirements include:

  1. Bachelor’s degree in development studies, communications, or similar. Master degree is an advantage;
  2. Minimum of five years of relevant experience in proposals writing related to rule of law, human rights, civil society etc. Proven ability to draft/edit texts, articulating ideas in a clear and concise style, and develop theories of change, results frameworks and budgets for projects;
  3. Proven skills and ability in presentation, communication and facilitation of trainings applying interactive and participatory based approaches;
  4. Proven familiarity with EU Project Cycle Management Guidelines and EU standard grant application forms (call for proposals);
  5. Proven track record in development of successful project proposals;
  6. Proficiency in English. Knowledge of Romanian is an advantage.
  7. Good personal and corporate reputation and integrity

5. EVALUATION CRITERIA

The cumulative method will be applied in the evaluation of the applications. The contract will be awarded to the candidate achieving the highest cumulative score from the technical and financial parts of the proposal. The technical proposal accounts for 70% of the total score and the financial proposal will account for 30% of the total evaluation score.

The offers will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Criteria

Max. point

Methodology / action plan

25

Relevant degree 

10

Relevant professional experience in proposals writing

10

Proven familiarity

- with EU Project Cycle Management Guidelines and EU standard grant application forms (call for proposals) for LOT II and

- with General Project Cycle for LOT I

15

Proven skills and ability in trainings, presentation, communication and facilitation of trainings applying interactive and participatory based approaches

10

Financial offer

30

TOTAL

100

 

6. APPLICATION PROCESS

Offers may be submitted by individual candidates and/or legal entities. The signed and dated offer shall be sent by e-mail to application@old2.old.crjm.org by 28 May 2020, including the following components:

  • the copy of the registration certificate/extract for the legal person and the updated CV of the candidates, together with a Cover letter, which will contain: (1) interest in the assignment and a short description of previous portfolios/beneficiaries, record in development of successful project proposals, and any other information requested at p.4 above; (2) the name and contact details of two reference persons;
  • An outline of the envisaged methodology for the assignment (outlining the overall approach and suggested methods) – maximum one page;
  • financial offer in USD, with the breakdown of costs (consultancy fee per number of anticipated working days).  Offers submitted in any other currency will be converted at the official exchange rate of the National Bank of Moldova at the deadline date for submitting the offers;
  • declaration on conflict of interests. In case of a conflict of interests, real or potential, with the members or employees of the LRCM, the candidate is obliged to declare it in a written document enclosed to the application (no particular form required).

For local resident candidates: (a) legal entities are invited to send their financial offers with the application of the VAT exemption with deduction right. The confirmative documents for VAT exemption will be presented by the beneficiary; (b) individual candidates – net amounts.

For foreign individual candidates/legal entities, if selected, the tax resident certificate issued by the relevant tax authority of the origin country will be requested. Upon presentation of the certificate of residence for tax purposes based on the Convention for the avoidance of double taxation, the Consultant will have the sole responsibility for the payment of all applicable taxes relating to Consultant and Consultant’s employees arising from payments to be received.

(!) Individual successful candidates should justify the requested fees by filling in a form (Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet in line with USAID requirements) indicating the fees received for similar services from at least three contractors, with the attachment of the supporting documents.

The Consultant can apply for one or for both lots and submit their proposals accordingly.

Disbursement and payment modalities will be agreed upon by both parties and specified in the contract with the Consultant. 

For any clarifications on the assignment, please e-mail at application@old2.old.crjm.org.

NOTE: LRCM reserves the right not to choose any candidate in case the offers received do not meet the desired requirements mentioned in this ToR.

LRCM is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage application from all qualifying candidates. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital or parental status or other category protected by law.

 

Civil society organizations call on Parliament for real decision-making transparency in the process of finalizing the new law on non-profit

44 civil society organizations (CSOs) welcome Parliament's intention to finalize the draft law on non-profit organizations (NPO Law) and call for consultations to be conducted in a transparent manner and with the involvement of all relevant civil society organizations. In an appeal to Parliament on 30 April 2020, CSOs express the hope that, especially in the current COVID-19 pandemic, the authorities will demonstrate a proactive and inclusive approach, so that the opinions of all relevant CSOs from the perspective of expertise and the field of activity can be sent to the authorities within the established terms.

CSOs request Parliament to publish in real time the updated version of the draft law, the registered amendments, as well as all opinions, comments or objections submitted on the Parliament's webpage dedicated to the project; transparent and inclusive consultation of relevant CSOs that have been involved in the drafting of this law, regarding any proposed amendments to the draft (including members of the Consultative Platform of Civil Society Representatives to the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, members of the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum); facilitating the online participation of CSOs and in particular of all members of the working group that contributed to the drafting of the bill, at the meeting of the Committee on Legal Matters, Appointments and Immunities at which the draft law will be discussed; and the immediate adoption in the final reading of the draft Law on NPO, keeping all the provisions related to freedom of expression, the possibility to promote public policies or to access external funds by non-profit organizations.

Adopted in the first reading almost two years ago, on 3 May 2018, the Draft Law on NPO comes to considerably improve the functioning framework of CSOs in terms of the creation, organization and operation of the CSOs. It simplifies the registration of non-profit organizations and removes the rigid internal organizational structure imposed by current legislation. The draft limits the possibilities for abusive pressure on non-profit organizations and excludes unjustified restrictions on the establishment of non-profit organizations by certain categories of persons. Regarding the political activity, the draft imposes an absolute ban on non-profit organizations to support candidates in elections and sets clear limits on the relationship between non-profit organizations and political parties. The draft also establishes framework legislation on state funding or support for non-profit organizations, an area that is insufficiently regulated by current legislation. It does not require the re-registration of non-profit organizations and does not limit their external funding.

On 3 March 2020, more than 20 CSOs addressed a similar appeal to Parliament, calling to pass the draft in the final reading, without admitting amendments that would hamper the work of non-profit organizations, and to consult the civil society organizations regarding any proposed amendments to the project in a transparent and inclusive manner.

On 15 April 2020, the Commission for Legal Matters, Appointments and Immunities of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova sent a letter to civil society organizations requesting their opinion in order to finalize the draft law on non-profit organizations.

The adoption of the NPO Law is part of the National Action Plan on the implementation of the Association Agreement with the European Union 2017-2019. The project was developed by a working group created by the Ministry of Justice in March 2016, which also included representatives of civil society.

The Public Call in Romanian is available HERE.

The Public Call in English is available HERE.

Celula de criză a jurnaliștilor condamnă acuzațiile vicepreședintelui Parlamentului, Vlad Batrîncea, lansate în adresa mass-media

Celula de criză a jurnaliștilor, lansată de Centrul pentru Jurnalism Independent pentru a cere autorităților transparență și acces „sănătos” la informație în contextul stării de urgență instituită ca urmare pandemiei de COVID-19, condamnă acuzațiile nefondate și informațiile defăimătoare lansate de la tribuna Parlamentului de deputatul Vlad Batrîncea, vicepreședinte al Legislativului.

În cadrul discursului ținut în plenul Parlamentului la data 23 aprilie 2020, Vlad Batrîncea, a acuzat jurnaliștii de faptul că ar primi salarii de mii de euro în plic, fără a achita impozitele, accentuând în context că, pe timp de pandemie, partenerii occidentali își îndreaptă sprijinul financiar către instituțiile de presă. „(...) Nu dați la jurnaliști milioane de euro. (...) Pentru ce un jurnalist trebuie să primească mii de euro onorarii, în plic, fără impozite, fără taxa obligatorie de medicină?”, a declarat parlamentarul în intervenția sa.

Mai mult, vicepreședintele Parlamentului s-a arătat nemulțumit de faptul că instituțiile media, în procesul de documentare a materialelor jurnalistice despre pandemia de Covid-19 și instituirea stării de urgență, contactează personalul din instituțiile medicale.

Astfel, semnalăm cu regret și îngrijorare că afirmațiile expuse de către Vlad Batrîncea defăimează statutul jurnalistului și conțin forme de exprimare care incită la ură față de instituțiile media.

Menționăm că statul garantează apărarea onoarei, demnității și reputației profesionale a jurnalistului și sancționează orice formă de împiedicare a activității mass-media și de intimidare a acesteia. Totodată, reamintim că imixtiunea în activitatea presei, inclusiv în procesul de documentare a materialelor jurnalistice, este interzisă de lege. Subliniem în acest context inadmisibilitatea ingerinței nejustificate a deputatului Batrîncea în activitatea instituțiilor mass-media.

Respectiv, propagarea de la tribuna Parlamentului, de către un oficial de rang înalt, a unui mesaj ce contravine normelor legale, constituie o încălcare a valorilor și principiilor democratice ale țării, care urmează a fi sancționată conform legii și condamnată în mod public.

În consecință, solicităm deputatului Vlad Batrîncea să prezinte scuze publice reprezentanților mass-media și să renunțe la răspândirea acuzațiilor nefondate și a informațiilor defăimătoare, abținându-se de la orice formă de exprimare care incită la ură față de jurnaliști.

Reamintim că oricine, în cazul în care nu este de acord cu metodele de lucru ale jurnalistului sau cu materialele sale, se poate adresa Consiliului de Presă din Republica Moldova, care va examina plângerea și va da o apreciere comportamentului profesional și/sau calității muncii jurnalistului.

Centrul pentru Jurnalism Independent
Agenţia de presă IPN
AGORA
Albasat
Asociația Jurnaliștilor de Mediu și Turism Ecologic din Republica Moldova
Asociația Presei Electronice
Asociația Presei Independente
Centrul „Acces-info”
Centrul de Investigații Jurnalistice
Centrul de Resurse Juridice din Moldova
Comitetul pentru Libertatea Presei
Diez.md
Elena Robu, ER News
Institutul de Politici Publice
Jurnal TV
Maria Levcenco, expert media la Institutul pentru Inițiative Strategice (IPIS)
Moldova.org
Mold-Street
Nadejda Roșcovanu
Observatorul de Nord
Portalul media „CU SENS”
Radio Orhei
Report.md
Revista „Natura”
TV8
Ziarul de Gardă

Concurs extins: Centrul de Resurse Juridice angajează consilier/ă juridic/ă

Centrul de Resurse Juridice din Moldova (CRJM) este o organizație necomercială care contribuie la consolidarea democrației și a statului de drept în Republica Moldova, cu accent pe justiție și drepturile omului. Realizăm activități de cercetare și de advocacy. Suntem independenți și neafiliați politic.  

 

CRJM anunță un concurs pentru:

Funcția: Consilier/ă juridic/ă;

Contract: pentru o perioadă de doi ani, cu posibilitate de extindere pentru un termen nedeterminat;

Localitatea: Chișinău, Republica Moldova, sediul CRJM, str. A. Șciusev 33.

Atribuții:

Principalele sarcini ale juristului/juristei țin de:

    1. Cercetare și analiză; 
    2. Advocacy;
    3. Activități de instruire;

Fișa de post a funcției este anexată: https://old2.old.crjm.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Fisa-de-post-Consilier-Juridic-jurist.pdf

Cerinţe:

Educație:

  • studii universitare în domeniul dreptului.

Cunoștințe:

  • bune cunoştinţe în domeniul justiţiei şi al drepturilor omului;
  • cunoașterea fluentă a limbilor română şi engleză (cel puțin nivelul B2). Cunoaşterea limbii ruse sau a altor limbi de circulaţie internaţională constituie un avantaj.

Abilități și aptitudini:

  • folosirea calculatorului în activitatea zilnică şi cunoașterea la nivel avansat a MS Office, Windows şi internet;
  • bune abilități de comunicare internă și externă, prezentare, planificare și organizare;
  • persoană responsabilă, atentă la detalii, bine organizată și dedicată;
  • capacitatea de a lucra independent, în echipă și sub presiune.

Competențe de bază:

  • angajament față de misiunea, viziunea și obiectivele strategice ale CRJM;
  • sensibilitate şi adaptabilitate față de diversitatea culturală, sex, religie, rasă, naționalitate și vârstă;
  • responsabilitate și răspundere directă pentru rezultatul deciziilor proprii.

Persoana trebuie să dețină dreptul de a munci în Republica Moldova.

Condiții de muncă:

  1. mediu de lucru confortabil;
  2. posibilități de dezvoltare profesională; 
  3. salariu motivant (inclusiv pachet social deplin), care depinde de calificarea şi experienţa persoanei;
  4. program deplin de lucru între 9:00 – 18:00;
  5. regim de muncă flexibil.

Persoanele care corespund cerințelor menționate mai sus sunt rugate să expedieze prin e-mail o scrisoare de motivare și CV-ul actualizat, care să conțină contactele a cel puțin două persoane de referință până la 15 mai 2020, ora 23.59, la adresa: application@old2.old.crjm.org.

Selectarea va fi făcută în bază analizei CV-urilor și scrisorilor de motivare depuse, urmată de o probă scrisă și interviu. Doar candidaţii/tele preselectaţi/te vor fi invitați/te pentru testare și ulterior interviu. Informații suplimentare pot fi obținute prin expedierea unui e-mail la aceeași adresă. 

Doar candidaţii preselectaţi vor fi invitați pentru testare și interviu.

Notă: CRJM își rezervă dreptul să nu aleagă niciun/o candidat/ă în cazul în care dosarele primite nu vor corespunde cerințelor sale.

Prin depunerea dosarului, candidatul/a consimte implicit verificarea de către CRJM a informației furnizate. ATENȚIE – în cazul în care nu sunteți de acord ca CRJM să verifice informația la actualul/a angajator/oare, Vă rugăm să menționați expres acest fapt în scrisoarea de motivare. Explicarea motivului nu este necesară.

CRJM este o organizație care activează în baza principiilor de incluziune. Noi valorificăm diferențele, promovăm egalitatea și abordăm frontal comportamente discriminatorii, astfel consolidând capacitatea organizațională. Toți candidații/tele calificați/te sunt încurajați/te să aplice. Noi nu discriminăm în funcție de dizabilitate, rasă, culoare, etnie, gen, religie, orientare sexuală, vârstă, stare civilă, statut parental sau orice alt criteriu protejat prin lege.

 

Arrest continues to be applied often and unjustified in the Republic of Moldova

The Government of the Republic of Moldova committed before the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to reduce the phenomenon of unjustified or illegal arrests. On 2-4 June 2020, the Committee of Ministers will verify the measures taken by the Republic of Moldova, in the context of consideration of execution of the Șarban group of cases. The Șarban group of cases consists of 14 judgements of the European Court of Human Rights that concern various violations of the Art. 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

On 18 April 2020, the Legal Resources Centre from Moldova (LRCM) submitted an updated communication on the existent guarantees and the impact of the measures taken by the authorities in preventing and combatting the unjustified arrests.

LRCM concluded that the high rate of arrest and poor motivation of remand judgements remain to be serious problems in Republic of Moldova. Even though, in 2019 the number of arrested persons was the lowest (1,864) compared to previous years, it does not appear that the judges examine more thoroughly the remand requests. On the contrary, the rate of accepted arrest requests increased to historical maximums – 93.5% (in 2018 – 88.4%). At the same time, alternative preventive measures to arrest are not used enough.

These problems generally do not reside in the legislation, but in the deficient judicial practice, influenced by the insufficient independence of judges and prosecutorial bias of many investigative judges. At the same time, the high workload affects the possibility to make a thorough examination of materials and cases.

The overarching conclusion is that the 2016 amendment to the legislation did not lead to a substantive improvement of the practice of judges and prosecutors related to remand.

LRCM calls the Committee of Ministers to recommend the Moldovan authorities take all measures necessary to ensure that:

  1. Moldovan judges and prosecutors respect in practice the guarantees of Article 5 of the Convention, in particular the verification of the reasonable suspicion of the crime and examination of all the relevant evidence brought before them;
  2. alternatives to remand are effectively used in practice;
  3. investigative judges enjoy full independence in practice, including that the legal requirements for appointment as investigative judge offer sufficient guarantees for their independence and efficiency;
  4. the workload of investigative judges is balanced to permit a thorough examination of cases put before them;
  5. any person detained in breach of Article 5 is entitled to compensation, irrespective of the verdict on the merits of the charges brought against him/her.

In 2017 and2019, LRCM submitted other communications to the Committee of Ministers on this subject.

The communication was written within the project „Promoting rule of law in Moldova through civil society oversight” implemented by the legal Resources Centre from Moldova with the financial support of the United States Agency for Development (USAID).

*  *  *

In order to strenghtening the enforcement of ECtHR judgments and prevent similar violations in the future, non-profit organizations may submit communications to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on measures taken by the state. Details on the submission procedure could be found in the handbook „Implementation of Judgments of the ECtHR” elaborated by the European Implementation Network.

The communication in accordance with Rule 9.2 of the Rules for the supervision of the execution of judgments on SARBAN v. MOLDOVA group of cases is available here:  

 

Publicarea hotărârilor judecătorești vs protecția datelor cu caracter personal reflectată în trei infografice

Cum ar trebui depersonalizate hotărârile judecătorești? Care sunt cele mai frecvente încălcări depistate la publicarea acestora? Unde ne putem adresa dacă au fost încălcate drepturile noastre? Centrul de Resurse Juridice din Moldova (CRJM) răspunde la aceste întrebări prin trei infografice, realizate în baza rezultatelor obținute în urma studiului  „Transparența justiției versus datele cu caracter personal”. Autorii au analizat în mod aleatoriu peste 1,300 hotărâri judecătorești emise de către toate instanțele judecătorești din țară în perioada 1 ianuarie 2018 - 31 martie 2019.

În Republica Moldova, deja de peste șapte ani, majoritatea hotărârilor judecătorești sunt publicate pe internet. Publicarea acestora online generează inevitabil numeroase provocări practice, în special pentru protecția vieții private și de familie, dar și pentru accesul la informația de interes public.

Potrivit legii, până la publicarea unei hotărâri judecătorești, anumite informații din aceasta trebuie excluse, urmând regulile privind depersonalizarea datelor, prevăzute în Regulamentul Consiliului Superior al Magistraturii (CSM), aprobat în luna octombrie 2017. Totuși, conform datelor obținute, de cele mai multe ori, depersonalizarea hotărârilor judecătorești este efectuată defectuos sau inconsecvent. Autorii analizei au identificat încălcări ale Regulamentului CSM În 63% din cauzele civile, contravenționale și penale generale studiate și în 55% în hotărârile în cauze de corupție studiate.

Modul incorect de depersonalizare a hotărârilor judecătorești afectează viața privată a persoanelor fizice care se prezintă în instanțele de judecată, dar și erodează încrederea în sistemul judecătoresc, dacă anumite informații publice lipsesc.

Dacă într-o hotărâre judecătorească au fost publicate ilegal datele noatre personale, ne putem adresa instituțiilor abilitate pentru remedierea acestui lucru - judecătorului care a emis hotărârea, CSM-ului sau Centrului Național pentru Protecția Datelor cu Caracter Personal.

Este esențial ca autoritățile responsabile să clarifice prevederile problematice din Regulamentul CSM privind modul de publicare a hotărârilor judecătorești precum și măsuri urgente de consolidare sau „reîmprospătare” a cunoștințelor corpului judecătoresc și ale asistenților judiciari ce țin de înțelegerea și aplicarea prevederilor Regulamentului.

Infograficele au fost elaborate în cadrul proiectului „Promovarea supremației legii prin monitorizare de către societatea civilă”, implementat de CRJM cu suportul Agenției SUA pentru Dezvoltare Internațională (USAID). Opiniile exprimate aparțin CRJM şi nu reflectă în mod necesar poziția USAID sau a Guvernului SUA.

Infograficele sunt disponibile aici: https://old2.old.crjm.org/category/infografice/ sau le puteți vizualiza mai jos.

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