By NHRI mandate
By topic
Enabling environment for HRDs & CSOs
Environmental HRDs
Freedom of assembly and association
Freedom of expression
Freedom of the media
Funding of CSOs
Non-government controlled territories
Prohibition of discrimination
Protection of HRDs
Right to a fair trial
Right to an effective remedy
Right to privacy
Right to respect for private and family life
Sustainable Development Goals
Whistleblowers
Women HRDs
By country
As the authority responsible for ensuring whistleblower protection in Moldova, the People’s Advocate of Moldova created a form for submitting request and alerts on their website. Through this, whistleblowers can liaise with the NHRI on reviewing their case.
Since 2021, the People’s Advocate Office of the Republic of Moldova (PAO) has actively engaged in drafting a Concept for a Law on Human Rights Defenders and consulting on it with civil society, professionals and other stakeholders. In 2022, the draft was publicly debated with the participation of civil society representatives, including organisations such as OSCE Moldova, the Union of Lawyers and other key actors. The People’s Advocate welcomed the dialogue, and the feedback received was incorporated into the draft.
In 2024, at the initiative of the PAO, the new National Human Rights Action Plan for 2024-2027 included a specific action aimed at strengthening national standards on the protection of human rights defenders. This action explicitly states: “the normative framework ensures the safety of human rights defenders and journalists, including in the Transnistrian region”. Consult the adopted Plan here.
Following this progress, in 2024, the PAO organised another round of public consultations on the Concept, engaging public authorities, international partners, and civil society. The Concept was finalised and submitted to the Ministry of Justice for review on 11 February 2025. Subsequently, on 17 April 2025, the Ministry published an announcement on its website regarding the initiation of the process of drafting the Law on Human Rights Defenders. It invited all interested stakeholders to submit proposals and contributions.
The activities of human rights defenders and civil society in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova have been restricted by rules and laws that limit their right to information and ability to express opposition to Transnistrian authorities. Human rights defenders’ freedom of expression was violated in 2020 when defenders were arrested and intimidated. In response, the People’s Advocate of Moldova issued recommendations to Moldovan authorities, mediators and observers. These aimed to make sure these parties applied international law and guaranteed the protection of human rights when designing measures to address the situation.
In 2021, the People’s Advocate of Moldova elaborated a concept regarding the necessity and importance to develop a draft law on human rights defenders. After that, the NHRI involved civil society and public authorities in discussion on the law, receiving mostly positive feedback. In parallel, the campaigning for children human rights defenders expanded and the NHRI proposed to include a chapter on children human rights defenders in the law, while mentioning the Ombudsman for Children as one of the protection mechanisms.
The People’s Advocate of Moldova and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Moldova launched an online course on whistleblowers’ protection in Russian and Romanian. The platform is aimed at employees from both the public and private sector. Users learn about how to disclose illegal practices; the particularities of whistleblowing in the private and public sectors; what illegalities may be disclosed; and the protection guarantees for those speaking out about corruption and irregularities in the institutions they work in.
The People’s Advocate of the Republic of Moldova closely monitors threats to the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press, while publishing public statements to support human rights defenders and prevent polarisation within society. In one case, a politician verbally threatened media actors and civil society representatives criticising his political activities and position. In response, the NHRI issued a statement condemning his discourse. This was supported by OHCHR and major human rights organisations in the country. The NHRI also reacted promptly in 2018 when a mayor expressed threatening statements to journalists and in 2020 when government officials attacked the press. It issued statements calling on the national authorities and the General Prosecutor’s Office to investigate.