Marin Pavelescu won a hate-motivated threat case in court. GENDERDOC-M: “Any form of threat remains a threat”

Marin Pavelescu won a hate-motivated threat case in court. GENDERDOC-M: “Any form of threat remains a threat”

The Chișinău Court, Buiucani branch, has handed down a conviction in a case involving threats to kill and inflict grievous bodily harm, motivated by prejudice related to the victim’s sexual orientation and made, among other means, through a computer system. The case concerns Marin Pavelescu, who secured a favourable outcome in proceedings that mark an important precedent in combating hate-motivated threats in the Republic of Moldova.

The GENDERDOC-M Information Centre welcomed the court’s ruling and stressed that the decision reaffirms an essential principle: threats do not become less serious simply because they are made online, in private or presented as “jokes”.

According to the court’s findings, on 19 June 2022, the defendant contacted the victim via Messenger and made serious threats motivated by prejudice against the victim for being gay. The court found that the threat was perceived as real.

According to the operative part of the judgment, the defendant was found guilty under Article 155(2) of the Criminal Code and fined 550 conventional units, equivalent to 27,500 lei. The court also imposed a preventive measure requiring the defendant not to leave the country until the judgment becomes final.

The court also partially upheld the civil claim. The victim is to receive 10,000 lei in compensation for non-pecuniary damage and 21,500 lei in legal costs.

In its public response, GENDERDOC-M emphasised that a safe society begins with clear boundaries and the state’s ability to respond when someone is threatened because of who they are or whom they love.

“When a person is threatened because of who they are or whom they love, we are not talking about opinions, but about intimidation and psychological violence. We welcome this ruling because it sends a necessary message: hate-motivated threats must not be normalised and cannot go unpunished,” representatives of the organisation said.

According to the organisation, the significance of such rulings for the LGBTQ+ community extends beyond the individual case. They send an institutional signal that the digital space is not a place without rules, and that prejudice makes intimidation more serious and heightens the danger it poses.

GENDERDOC-M believes that when the authorities respond firmly in such situations, victims gain confidence that reporting these cases is worthwhile and that they can obtain protection and redress.

The organisation encourages anyone facing threats, harassment, blackmail, violence or discrimination to seek help and report these incidents. Representatives of the centre stress that documenting evidence—screenshots, links, account IDs or messages—and promptly notifying the authorities can be decisive in investigating the incidents and holding perpetrators accountable.

People targeted by homophobic or transphobic attacks, as well as witnesses to such incidents, are also urged to preserve evidence, seek legal and psychological support, and report the case to the authorities, with specialist assistance if necessary.