A two-day training on qualifying and documenting bias-motivated offences and hate speech took place on 23-24 April, in Chisinau. It involved 23 chiefs of police inspectorates from across the Republic of Moldova.

The role of the police officers is to ensure distinguishing between hate speech and freedom of expression, when apply the relevant legal provisions of the Misdemeanour Code. Addressing hate speech effectively is important, as it can escalate into more serious and violent forms of hate-motivated offences.

The training sessions covered the use of legal provisions related to hate speech and bias-motivated offences, including with practical exercises relating to real cases and incidents registered in the past years in the Republic of Moldova.

Through hearing more about experiences and real stories from victims, the participants gained a comprehensive understanding of the vulnerabilities of certain groups, enabling them to understand and effectively address such cases without prejudices. The trained chiefs of police will further disseminate the gained knowledge to officers within their respective regions, for the benefit of the entire police force.

The Council of Europe, in collaboration with General Police Inspectorate is actively working to enhance diversity and equality within the law enforcement. This initiative aims to create a more inclusive police service and contributes to more efficient prevention of hate motivated incidents and protection of vulnerable groups in the Republic of Moldova.

The activity is part of the Council of Europe project ”Enhancing diversity and equality in the Republic of Moldova”,  implemented in the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova for 2021-2024 and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Council of Europe project ‘’Promoting non-discrimination in the Republic of Moldova’’.