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COMPENSATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA HAS EXCEEDED EUR 23 MILLION
An analytical document by the Legal Resources Centre from Moldova (CRJM) shows that, in 2025, the number of applications lodged against the Republic of Moldova returned to worrying levels, following a significant decrease in 2024. In 2025, Moldova was a respondent state before the ECtHR in 468 cases, representing an increase of 28.9%. Adjusted for population size, this figure places the Republic of Moldova 4th among the 46 Council of Europe member states, with Moldovans applying to the ECtHR 4.6 times more frequently than the European average.
The most frequent violations found against the Republic of Moldova in 2025 concerned the right to a fair trial (33 violations), protection of property (21 violations), and the right to respect for private and family life (7 violations). Most of the violations established in the 2025 judgments relate to breaches committed at national level between 2009 and 2015.
“The high number of applications and the elevated rate of violations indicate that citizens obtain justice only at the European level, not before national courts. The figures show that the justice system remains the main cause of Moldova’s condemnations by the ECtHR—precisely the area where human rights should be protected,” said Carolina Bagrin, Director of the Human Rights Programme at CRJM.
Based on all judgments and decisions delivered up to the end of last year, the Republic of Moldova has been ordered to pay compensation totalling EUR 23,402,498. Of this amount, nearly EUR 421,000 represents compensation awarded in 2025, to which an additional EUR 5,450 is added, paid under friendly settlements (prior to judicial examination by ECtHR judges) from the previous year.
“The ECtHR judgments delivered in 2025 expose persistent structural vulnerabilities: failure to protect vulnerable persons, reprisals against whistleblowers, damage to reputation caused by public authorities, and the dysfunctionality of domestic remedies. These condemnations require the Republic of Moldova to move from formal solutions to effective protection of human rights,” stressed Ilie Chirtoacă, President of CRJM.
At European level, in 2025 the ECtHR registered a total of 31,800 applications, most of them concerning Turkey (6,743 applications), Poland (3,303), Italy (2,421), Ukraine (2,299), and Romania (1,962). With 468 applications lodged against it, the Republic of Moldova ranks 18th among the 46 Council of Europe member states.
Conversely, as of 31 December 2025, the ECtHR had 53,550 applications pending, 11% fewer than in the previous year. More than half of these concern Turkey, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine. In this category, the Republic of Moldova ranks 9th, with 1,141 applications under examination, most of which have a high likelihood of success.
