40th session of the UPR Working Group - Review of the Republic of Moldova

President,

Sweden acknowledges the ambitious reform agenda of the Moldovan government and welcomes the ratifications of the Istanbul Convention and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. However, concerns remain, including the lacking independence of the justice sector and inadequate protection against discrimination.

Sweden would like to make the following recommendations:

1. Carry out reforms for increased transparency in and independence of the justice sector, making best use of the opinion of the Council of Europe Venice Commission.

2. Ensure protection against discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, and gender expression by introducing laws on hate crime explicitly covering bias-motivated crimes and incidents relating to these grounds.

3. Continue to implement the Istanbul Convention by adapting national legislation and allocating necessary cross-sectorial resources.

 

Thank you