(Apr. 2, 2012) On March 6, 2012, the Parliament of Moldova amended the country's Criminal Code and introduced chemical castration as a mandatory punishment for violent sexual crimes committed against children under 15 years of age. Application of this measure will be determined by courts and the castration procedure will be performed by injection, in medical establishments, during the first three months of imprisonment. Reportedly, 62 out of 100 members of the legislature voted for this bill, which was initiated by the Liberal Party and leading parliamentary coalition Alliance for European Integration. (Elena Furtseva, V Moldove Vvoditsa Himicheskaia Kastratsiia Pedofilovv (Chemical Castration of Pedophiles is Established in Moldova) [in Russian], NOVYI REGION (last visted Mar. 27, 20012).)
The legislators who introduced the bill of amendment said that it was done in response to the fact that 15 people were prosecuted in Moldova during the last five years for repeatedly committing sexual crimes against minors. (Id.) Unlike a similar law recently passed in Russia, the Moldovan law does not make the castration procedure a requirement for parole eligibility. (Peter Roudik, Russian Federation: Harsher Punishment for Crimes Against Children, GLOBAL LEGAL MONITOR (June 14, 2011).)