Domestic violence committed in cyberspace

This article starts from the premise that most crimes can be committed not only offline but also online. Thus, domestic violence can also be committed in cyberspace. Moreover, the concept of “cyberviolence” was outlined. This concept is found in several documents adopted under the auspices of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the European Union. More recently, the European Court of Human Rights has expressly emphasized that cyberviolence constitutes a form of domestic violence. It is about the cases of Buturugă v. România and Volodina v. Russia (no. 2). This article analyses the reasoning of the European Court of Human Rights. It is shown that cyberviolence against a family member generates a serious interference in the private life of the person, i.e., in the right guaranteed by art. 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and, respectively, of art. 28 of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova. And the national authorities have a positive obligation to conduct an effective investigation. Such an investigation must lead to the identification of the perpetrator, his punishment and compensation to the victim.