Strong protest regarding the Police’s reaction to possible abuses and human rights violations

Strong protest regarding the Police’s reaction to possible abuses and human rights violations

The GENDERDOC-M Information Centre strongly condemns the response of the Police of the Republic of Moldova to reports of a potentially extremely serious case of abuse committed by police officers against a member of the LGBTQI+ community.

According to publicly available information, a young woman was allegedly stopped by two police officers who forcibly searched her phone and, after finding personal photographs, demanded 3,000 lei from her, citing her sexual orientation. Equally serious are reports that she was subsequently discouraged from filing a complaint against those involved.

If these reports are confirmed, this would constitute not only a possible act of corruption and abuse of power, but also discriminatory and degrading treatment by representatives of an institution whose duty is to protect people, not to humiliate them and extort money from them.

Instead of promptly announcing an impartial and transparent investigation, the Police of the Republic of Moldova chose to publish a defensive statement denying the allegations and shifting the focus from the facts to the people who had the courage to speak out about the case. We consider this response an attempt to intimidate and publicly discredit those who spoke out, and a direct attack on human rights defenders, including through the explicit naming of Angelica Frolov.

Labelling an activist and insinuating that reporting abuse is intended to generate “views” or serve as “self-promotion” is an unacceptable response from a public institution. Such language not only undermines the credibility of victims and their defenders, but also sends the message that people who report abuse risk being exposed, attacked and intimidated by the very people who should be protecting them.

Such responses reinforce fear, silence and distrust of state institutions, particularly among LGBTQI+ people, who already face stigma, discrimination and reluctance to seek help.

In a state governed by the rule of law, loyalty to colleagues cannot take precedence over the duty to investigate abuse.

GENDERDOC-M stands in solidarity with the person affected and with everyone who chooses to speak out about abuse despite the risks. Attempts to intimidate victims, witnesses or human rights defenders must neither be tolerated nor normalised.