The Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality welcomes the recent conviction in the case concerning threats against Marin Pavlescu, a young man from Moldova who became publicly known after reporting harassment during his compulsory military service linked to his sexual orientation.
After Pavlescu’s story received media attention, he was threatened with death by phone by a Moldovan man living in Italy. The court found that in June 2022 the defendant contacted Pavlescu via private messages and issued prejudice-motivated threats.
The defendant was convicted under the criminal provision on threats and fined about €1,400.
The court also awarded Pavlescu approximately €500 in moral damages and around €1,000 to cover legal costs.
A separate 2023 ruling ordered military and defence institutions to compensate Pavlescu with roughly €6,000 in total; that decision is not final and may be subject to further appeal or legal challenge.
The Coalition reiterates that threats motivated by prejudice, whether online or by phone, constitute intimidation and psychological violence, not mere opinion or jest. Rulings of this kind signal that such acts must be taken seriously and that victims have legal avenues to seek protection and redress.
