Moldovan bishop ordered to pay compensation to LGBT representatives
A hierarch of the Orthodox Church of Moldova has been convicted for a 2022 video calling to prevent the "March of Solidarity" in Bălți.
Bishop Markell of Bălți and Fălești of the Orthodox Church of Moldova has been ordered to pay financial compensation to LGBT community representatives for moral damages, reports esp.md.
In 2022, Bishop Markell recorded a video in which he called on the citizens of Bălți to come to the city cathedral before the "March of Solidarity" to "hold a procession and resist, not allow this shameless invasion that they want to conduct through the centre of our city". He referred to LGBT community members as "sodomites", "lost", "sinners", etc. The video was later removed.
Two representatives of the Moldovan LGBT community sued the Church hierarch for incitement to discrimination based on sexual orientation and won the case. Now, Bishop Markell must pay 10,000 lei to each plaintiff.
As reported by UOJ, Ukraine, along with 35 other countries, signed an appeal to the authorities of Hungary regarding the support of the LGBT community and condemned the persecution of people with non-traditional orientation in that country.
