Written declaration No. 512 | Doc. 12910 | 26 April 2012

Exploitation of homophobia for political ends by Moldova’s Communist Party

Signatories: Mr Jonas GUNNARSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Tina ACKETOFT, Sweden, ALDE ; Ms Najat ALASTAL, Palestinian National Authority ; Mr Mörður ÁRNASON, Iceland, SOC ; Mr Lennart AXELSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Doris BARNETT, Germany, SOC ; Mr Robert BIEDROŃ, Poland, SOC ; Lord Tim BOSWELL, United Kingdom, EDG ; Mr Tor BREMER, Norway, SOC ; Ms Viola von CRAMON-TAUBADEL, Germany, SOC ; Ms Alena GAJDŮŠKOVÁ, Czech Republic, SOC ; Mr Jean-Charles GARDETTO, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Ms Carina HÄGG, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Håkon HAUGLI, Norway, SOC ; Ms Athina KYRIAKIDOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Ms Kerstin LUNDGREN, Sweden, ALDE ; Mr Arminas LYDEKA, Lithuania, ALDE ; Ms Nicole MANZONE-SAQUET, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Ms Sonja MIRAKOVSKA, ''The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', SOC ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Mette REISSMANN, Denmark, SOC ; Mr Christoph STRÄSSER, Germany, SOC ; Ms Anette TRETTEBERGSTUEN, Norway, SOC ; Mr Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, Denmark, UEL ; Ms Gisela WURM, Austria, SOC ; Mr Vladimir ZHIDKIKH, Russian Federation, EDG

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

On 23 February 2012, the Communist Party-led city council of Balti, Moldova’s second-largest city, decided to “prohibit aggressive propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientations in demonstrations, propaganda which the central authorities of the Republic of Moldova are seeking to impose on the municipality”. The move came in response to government proposals to introduce anti-discrimination legislation that would protect sexual orientation.

Shortly afterwards, Vladimir Voronin, former President of Moldova and leader of the Communist Party, made a speech calling homosexuality “an abomination” and urging the country to “rebel” against LGBT people. “Let each municipality declare itself free from this nonsense which has been imported from Europe,” he said.

Since then, three town and three district councils, all Communist Party-led, have adopted similar provisions.

We condemn these manifestly discriminatory decisions, Mr Voronin’s use of “hate speech”, and the Communist Party’s use of homophobia as a political weapon.

We call on:

• Mr Voronin to end his attacks on LGBT people;
• the Moldovan Communist Party to withdraw the aforementioned decisions;
• the Moldovan Government to challenge their legality, if they are not withdrawn;
• all Moldovan political parties to support the introduction of anti-discrimination legislation, including sexual orientation and gender identity as protected grounds.