Hate speech banned and punishable during electoral campaigns in Moldova
Moldova's Electoral Code has been amended to ban and punish hate speech during electoral campaigns. The new provisions came into effect at the beginning of the year and will be applied for the first time in the November 5 local elections.
According to the new law, electoral candidates who use hate speech or discriminatory rhetoric in their campaigns will be subject to fines of up to 20,000 lei.
The changes were introduced in response to the growing use of hate speech and discrimination, particularly online, during electoral campaigns.
Irina Corobcenco, an expert in hate speech monitoring and prevention at Promo-LEX, said that the new law is a positive step.
“There is a big difference between heated electoral rhetoric between competitors and electoral rhetoric in which an electoral competitor uses their speech to incite other citizens to violate the rights of another group because that group is different,” Corobcenco said. “It is this type of speech that must be punished.”
Alexandr Berlinschii, the secretary of the Central Election Commission, said that the amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences are designed to ensure that all participants in electoral campaigns know the rules.
“Up to now, hate speech was also prohibited by law, but it was not explicitly provided for during electoral campaigns,” Berlinschii said. “The amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences provide legal certainty that there will be no denigrating campaigns against some participants in electoral campaigns.”
The new law is a welcome step in the fight against hate speech and discrimination in Moldova. It is important that all participants in electoral campaigns are held accountable for their words and actions, and that everyone is treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, or other identity.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
