Parliament passes anti-discrimination bill despite protest by Diana Caraman
On Tuesday, July 28, the Parliament session was disrupted by a protest led by Diana Caraman, the leader of the Communist Party faction. She blocked the central tribune of the Legislature in response to a decision to limit speaking time during the examination of a draft law aimed at combating discrimination.
Presenting the initiative in the plenary session of Parliament, the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Justice, Lilian Apostol, noted that the project redefines the concept of direct discrimination and introduces the notion of intersectional discrimination. It also clarifies and systematizes various forms of discrimination and provides for mechanisms for mediation and amicable resolution of disputes.
Asked how the literacy criterion, introduced as a protected criterion in the legislation, will be applied, Lilian Apostol explained that it could be invoked in situations where a person believes that he or she has been discriminated against by a public or private institution because of his or her level of literacy.
The person will be able to notify the Equality Council, present evidence, and the institution will examine the case and request explanations from the relevant public authority or private entity. The Council will analyze whether the level of literacy was a relevant criterion or a determining factor in the situation complained of, for example, in the case of refusal of employment or dismissal from office. At the same time, according to the Secretary of State, the Equality Council's decision may be challenged in court by any of the parties involved.
The President of the PCRM faction, Diana Caraman, requested explanations regarding the introduction of concepts such as “gender identity” or “sexual characteristics” into the legislation. She stated that the majority of citizens of the Republic of Moldova are traditionally familiar only with the concepts of man and woman, and requested clarification on any additional categories that would be protected by the new provisions.
The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Doina Gherman, stated that the draft is technical, but the opposition is trying to present it as an “attempted conspiracy” by the parliamentary majority, describing these statements as false.
The MP also said that it is worrying that a draft law that should unite society by strengthening the protection of citizens' rights and the institutional capacity of the Equality Council is being used to sow division and to launch hate speech from the Parliament's rostrum.
"The speeches related to this draft law are full of hate speech, homophobic, sexist, discriminatory statements", said Doina Gherman, proposing their interruption.
Diana Caraman insisted on being given the floor and blocked the central rostrum even after the Parliament voted for the draft law with 52 votes in the first reading and moved on to examining the next item on the agenda.
The leader of the PCRM faction remained at the rostrum until she was given the floor. She accused "a betrayal of the interests and morality of the people" and announced that the Communist faction would challenge the voted law in all competent structures.
