About the project “Human Rights Education - a Tool to Fight Disinformation and Protect Freedom of Expression”

The joint project of the Human Rights Embassy (Chisinau) and the Baltic Human Rights Society (Riga) “Human Rights Education - a Tool to Fight Disinformation and Protect Freedom of Expression” is aimed at enhancing human rights education and promoting freedom of expression in Moldova through the expansion of the Human Rights Guide, conducting legal analysis of Moldovan legislation, and media needs assessment.

The project plans to conduct a study on the legal analysis and identification of legal tools for combating disinformation and protecting freedom of expression in Moldova. The study is conducted through the following key steps and instruments: 1) Preparation of the methodological approach to the conduct of the desk review; 2) Desk review of Moldovan legislation and case-law, international and EU standards, regarding freedom of expression and disinformation; 3) Drafting of internal report regarding relevant legislation and case-law, international and EU standards, to inform further research field work; 4) Preparation of the methodological approach to and tools (questionnaires) for the conduct of the interview and group meetings; 5) Conduct of at least 5 interviews with experts in the field of freedom of expression; and 6) Conduct of collected data analysis and drafting of the final report with recommendations for policy makers in the context of EU integration.

The desk review is conducted through the application of doctrinal and comparative legal research methodologies. The review will focus on the interaction between freedom of expression guarantees and regulatory measures addressing disinformation. The conducted legal analysis will identify: 1) International and European legal standards concerning freedom of expression and disinformation; 2) Moldovan legal standards and practice concerning freedom of expression and disinformation; 3) Compliance areas, legal gaps and incompliance areas. In particular the legal analysis will be guided by the following principles: 1) Legality, legitimacy, necessity, and proportionality of restrictions on freedom of expression; 2) Compatibility of national measures with international and EU standards; and 3) Safeguards against abuse, overreach, and chilling effects.

For the media needs assessment component, project experts are conducting a survey among Moldovan media workers to assess their human rights capacities (perceptions, knowledge, understanding, and skills in human rights). The objective of the study is to provide a basis for development of a capacity development program on human rights (inclusive of trainings, workshops, etc.) for media workers in Moldova. The analytical framework for this study is based on the European (Council of Europe, OSCE, EU) normative framework and Human Rights Based Approach drawing from the international (UN) and regional European human rights standards.

This study has been performed through the following instruments on the basis of the following sources of information: 1) Desk review of the normative, policy and media profession documents (ethic code/s, etc.) with relevance to human rights and media work; 2) Structured survey of mass media workers on the basis of a questionnaire on the current status, key issues and self-assessment of human rights in the work of the Moldovan mass media (the questionnaire includes two parts: the first part with questions requiring a subjective self-assessment or views of media workers and the second part with a test for an objective assessment of human rights knowledge and capacities of media workers); and 3) Other available sources of information, including meetings and other interactions with mass media workers.

Regarding the component on enhancing human rights education and promoting freedom of expression in Moldova through the expansion of the Human Rights Guide, the development of the Human Rights Guide for Moldova continues within the framework of this project. Project experts have already developed two new themes, which are available on the Guide's online platform in Romanian, Russian and English languages.

Read the theme “Freedom of expression and Media” and the theme “Hate crimes and Hate speech” on the Human Rights Guide online platform.

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The project “Human Rights Education - a Tool to Fight Disinformation and Protect Freedom of Expression” is being implemented by the Human Rights Embassy in partnership with the Baltic Human Rights Society (BHRS). The project is financed by the Lithuanian Fund for the Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid.