A young gay man commited suicide after a police raid in Chisinau, Moldova

December 10, 2010.
For the immediate attention of the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova

Dear Minister Catan:

On December, 6 this year, Ion Pleu, a young Moldovan gay man committed suicide after being intercepted by a police raid in Chisinau in Parcul Valea Morilor, an area known as pleka (pleaca). Two police persons, one of them identified as Mr. Sergiu Gaina, acted as agents of intimidation and fear, and targeted this vulnerable man for no other reason than his perceived sexual orientation.

There is a history of intimidating the gay community in Moldova, and this pointless and preventable death only serves to highlight the immorality of this type of targeting.

Public spaces known as pleka are sometimes important for informal gatherings and gay group identification. In countries like Moldova, they are among the very few spaces in which gay people have the freedom to be themselves without fear of judgment or social pressure. In accordance with the OSCE norms concerning police conduct, such public spaces are not to be used for raids aimed at controlling or restricting freedom of assembly or speech by the LGBT community.

We are aware that there is an ongoing pattern of discrimination against lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender people in Moldova. We are aware that underpaid police forces exercise constant pressure, threats and verbal violence in order to obtain bribes from men gathering in pleka. This type of intimidation is targeting not just individuals, but have detrimental effects against a whole community, and therefore should stop. When gay men live in permanent fear of losing their families, friends and jobs if they disclose their sexual orientation, they have little or no power to protect themselves. Some, as in the recent and tragic suicide cited above, choose to end their own lives rather than live in such a constantly hostile environment.

The police failure to respect and protect vulnerable and marginalized gay people is a direct threat to their right to life, and contravenes the rights to freedom, security, and privacy guaranteed in the Moldovan Constitution.

A prompt and impartial police investigation concerning this case must be initiated immediately. In addition, we are call for a zero-tolerance policy against police using violence or threats of violence, defamation, or degrading treatment in dealing with LGBT people.

A close and sincere cooperation between the Ministry you lead and Genderdoc-M association focusing on preventing and combating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity within police forces in the Republic of Moldova is a necessary mandate of your office. Your cooperation in this partnership will constitute one of the most effective ways we know of to communicate clearly that the principles of equality and nondiscrimination apply to gay people in Moldova.

We respectfully request your response in writing as soon as possible.

The Rev. Elder Diane Fisher
Bishop for Eastern Europe
Metropolitan Community Churches
RevDianeFisher@mccchurches.net
www.ufmcc.com

The Rev. Pat Bumgardner, Chair
Global Justice Ministry
Metropolitan Community Churches
RvPatMCCNY@aol.com
www.ufmcc.com

Florin Buhuceanu,
Executive president
ECPI - Euroregional Center for Public Initiatives fbuhuceanu@ecpi.ro www.ecpi.ro