Moldovan Govt. Must Ensure Gay Rights

There’s some gay drama in the small European nation of Moldova, where authorities stopped a gay pride event in 2006. Claiming such an event would cause a public disruption, officials sent coppers to break up the queer fun, which included laying flowers at the Monument to the Victims of Repression.

Gay rights activists brought the government to court, but lost. Now, after reviewing the facts, the Parliamentary Assembly of of the Council of Europe resolved that the government must “ensure full respect of the fundamental rights of all minorities”.

In their report, PACE wrote:

We deplore the fact that after a final ruling by the Supreme Court of Moldova the Chisinau authorities continue to violate the law and deprive the representatives of the LGBT community of their right to freedom of assembly.

Such situation cannot be tolerated in a democratic state governed by the rule of law. We expect the Moldovan authorities to take all necessary measures to put an end to this practice.

Whether the Moldovan authorities understand the message – and democracy – remains to be seen.