21 Jan 2021 18:07

Moldovan Constitutional Court finds legislation granting Russian status as language of interethnic communication unconstitutional

CHISINAU. Jan 21 (Interfax) - The Moldovan Constitutional Court has ruled to find the legislation on the functioning of languages and on the Russian language's status as unconstitutional.

The court issued its judgment upon a request by three opposition parliamentarians.

The Moldovan parliament passed legislation on the functioning of languages at the end of 2020 by a majority comprised of the parliamentarians from the Party of Socialists and the Shor Party. The law designates the Russian language as a language of interethnic communication and allows its use in addressing government bodies. The law also provided sanctions for officials refusing to answer questions in the Russian language.

The petitioners argued that the legislation violated the rights of a majority of citizens and diminished the official language's role. They also insisted that the parliament passed the legislation in violation of the established procedure and without a mandatory review by the government and the relevant ministries.

The Constitutional Court agreed with the petitioners' reasons and found the law to be unconstitutional. Thus, the legislation is considered invalid from the moment the Constitutional Court pronounced its judgment, which is obligatory, and is not subject to appeal.