Lost Lawsuits at the ECHR: How Much Moldova Pays Annually

According to the report submitted by the European Court of Justice, in 2023, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) registered 1,150 claims against the Republic of Moldova. The most frequently violated rights are the rights to a fair trial and to the protection of property. A total of 68,450 cases were filed with the ECHR last year from 46 signatory states. Our country ranked 10th, having risen by two positions in the number of applications filed compared to the previous year. Of the 24 judgements ruled by the High Court last year, most of them concern violations of the right to a fair trial, respect for private and family life, protection of property and the right to liberty and security. The report’s data shows that Moldova is lagging behind in terms of human rights, said Vitalie Zama, a lawyer from the Human Rights Lawyers Association. “In general, the number of enquiries is high if we compare it to the number of inhabitants. Issues related to human security and freedom remain on the agenda, namely: unmotivated and unjustified arrests, the right to a fair trial, the right to private and family life and freedom of expression. These data prove that the Republic of Moldova is lagging behind with regard to human rights. The ECHR judgements were ruled on the basis of court decisions issued not only in 2022-2023, but also earlier,” the expert said. Since September 1997, when our country acceded to the European Convention on Human Rights, up to 31 December 2023, the ECHR issued 599 judgments against the Republic of Moldova, in which damages worth about 20 million euros were paid.