Council of Europe, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and the National Institute of Justice, organized a workshop for judges on the European principles and standards related to release of life-sentenced prisoners and the application of Law on amnesty in the Republic of Moldova.

35 judges enhanced their knowledge and professional skills on the relevant European standards, including those of the European Court of Human Rights and its case-law regarding the imposition and release from life imprisonment, perspectives regarding conditional release, as well as learnt from good practices (Romania, Germany, Lithuania, and Estonia) and methods in the field.

 “As of January 2024, the country has 130 individuals serving life sentences, a number that raises concerns compared to other countries in the region. The Republic of Moldova has now four times more life-sentenced prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants than Romania. Additionally, the Republic of Moldova faces challenges in justifying life sentences, ensuring proper procedures during imprisonment, and safeguarding prisoners’ rights to rehabilitation and conditional release”, underlined Falk Lange, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, in his opening remarks.

The workshop discussions are necessary both for the improvement of the executive-criminal legislation in the field of conditional release, pardon, and amnesty, and for the standardisation of practice in the Republic of Moldova.

“The workshop is important because of several crucial issues. Firstly, it is important for judges to be familiar with international standards and judicial practices in other countries. The number of prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment in relation to the population is worrying. Also, the fact that there are de facto no early releases, even though the law provides for this. Thus, this right becomes a theoretical and illusory one, contrary to the established standards”, stated Mr Igor Dolea, Council of Europe consultant.

The Council of Europe Project "Strengthening the Human Rights Compliant Criminal Justice System in the Republic of Moldova" contributes to further strengthening the criminal justice system of the Republic of Moldova in the areas of combating ill-treatment and establishing a basis for a more humane approach towards sentencing in criminal cases.