One Million Lei Fines for Wearing St. George’s Ribbon in 2022

In 2022, the National Public Security Inspectorate (NPSI) fined 1,009,500 lei to people who wore the St. George’s ribbon, which is banned on Moldovan territory as a symbol of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Until May 2023, fines of 223,000 lei were paid. According to data provided by the NPSI, during the last year, including demonstrations on May 9, 2022, the police drew up 235 protocols for wearing the black and orange ribbon. Seventy-eight protocols were sent to court, of which five were closed. The police fined 17 members of the Moldovan Parliament who ignored the provisions of the law and wore black and orange ribbons at the rallies organized on 9 May 2022 in the center of the capital. The amount of the fine was 9,000 lei in each case. 8 of the 17 deputies who were sanctioned paid the fines and nine appealed the inspectors’ decisions in court. Recall that earlier it became known that the deputy of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists, Eduard Smirnov, avoided a fine received for wearing a black and orange ribbon on May 9, 2022, banned on the territory of Moldova as a symbol of Russian aggression against Ukraine. The socialist appealed to the Chisinau court the protocol by which he was fined 9,000 lei, and in a recent decision the court cancelled the protocol and the decision to impose a fine based on it, as drawn up with violations. On April 20, 2022, the wearing of a black and orange ribbon, as well as the ‘V’ and ‘Z’ symbols, which denote Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, was prohibited on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. Persons who do not comply with the prohibition can be fined up to 9,000 lei or be sentenced to 30 to 60 hours of community service. Persons holding responsible positions can be fined up to 18,000 lei, and legal entities – up to 30,000 lei.