by Rex Wockner
International News Briefs
A case sent to the European Court of Human Rights in 2006 by gays in Moldova is facing new delays.
The court now says it needs additional clarifications from the Moldovan government before it can move forward in the matter of Moldovan authorities' banning a May 2005 gay demonstration outside Parliament in Chisinau.
Members of the LGBT group GenderDoc-M had hoped to picket in support of the idea of an anti-discrimination law.
Permission was denied by the Municipal Council, which said the picket lacked meaning because no legislation of the sort was pending. An appeals court ruled that the city's denial was "illegal" but the nation's Supreme Court later upheld the ban, saying a picket by sexual minorities could lead to a breach of public order.
GenderDoc-M's Euro Court case alleges violation of numerous provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights concerned with the rights to a fair trial, effective remedy, freedom of assembly and freedom from discrimination.
"The additional questions requested by the court to the Moldovan authorities take away all hopes for a court decision before the next Moldovan Pride planned on May 2," said Moscow activist Nikolai Alekseev.
