OSCE Mission to Moldova launches Human Rights Club meetings for 2015
CHISINAU, 29 May 2015 – The OSCE Mission to Moldova today held the first in a series of meetings of the Human Rights Club for lawyers from both banks of the Dniestr/Nistru River. The event marked the beginning of a year-long project to maintain dialogue among local legal professionals from both banks and to support the development of civil society.
“This year, our Mission will continue its commitment to facilitate discussions across the river about crucial legal issues that affect citizens on a daily basis,” said Andreea Vesa, Human Rights and Democratization Programme Manager at the OSCE Mission to Moldova. “An informed legal community provides for better solutions to everyday problems and, ultimately, improves the lives of everyone.”
The event brought together more than 40 lawyers to discuss the reintegration of former detainees into society and to compare practices and approaches on both banks towards identifying what is needed for their effective rehabilitation. As a result of the meeting, a number of solutions were proposed to assist former detainees to once again become contributing members of society.
“Human rights are universal and do not know borders, political or otherwise. As a lawyer, I feel it is important to take a human rights-based approach to confidence building,” said Iurie Levinte, a lawyer from the right bank who participated in the event. “These meetings provide me and my colleagues with an unparalleled opportunity to come together and find solutions to common human rights problems affecting people on both banks of the Dniestr/Nistru River.”
Previous meetings of the Human Rights Club have focused on a variety of topics, including the assessment of property within civil and criminal cases, achieving gender equality in law and in practice, co-operation between lawyers and journalists in promoting human rights, increasing efforts to combat torture and matters relating to the guardianship of children.
Four additional meetings of the Human Rights Club are planned for 2015, including two in Chisinau and two in Tiraspol.