D66
vrijdag 21 augustus 2009
Sophie in 't Veld roept Litouws parlement op tot aanpassing homofobe wet
21 Augustus 2009
In een vandaag verstuurde brief aan de voorzitter van de Justitie
Commissie van het Litouwse Parlement, roept Sophie in 't Veld op tot
aanpassing van een omstreden homofobe wet. Deze Wet ter bescherming
van minderjarigen tegen het schadelijke effect van openbare
informatiewerd onlangs aangenomen door het parlement van Litouwen-
ondanks een presidentieel veto - en zal in maart 2010 in werking
treden.
Sophie in 't Veld heeft reeds in juni 2009 de voorzitter van de
Europese Commissie, Barroso, en commissarissen Barrot en Spidla
opgeroepen op te treden tegen deze wet, die het recht op vrije
meningsuiting en het recht op gelijke behandeling schendt en leidt tot
regelrechte discriminatie van homos, lesbiennes, biseksuelen en
transgender -mensen, inclusief jongeren.
Sophie in 't Veld verstuurde de brief uit naam van de Intergroup Gay
en Lesbian Rights in het Europees Parlement en ILGA Europe.
Open letter to the attention of:
Mr edbaras, chairman of the Committee of Legal Affairs,
Lithuanian Parliament
by email and by fax
Brussels, August 21, 2009
Dear Mr edbaras,
We are writing to you on behalf of the European Parliament's
Intergroup on Lesbian and Gay Rights and ILGA-Europe, the European
Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex
Association (ILGA) to express our grave concerns regarding the
Amendment to the Criminal Code XIP-668(2) and the Amendment to the
Administrative Code XIP-667(2) which aim to criminalise 'propagation
of homosexual relations'.
These amendments, if adopted, are not only a severe limitation of
freedom of speech, but also a breach of the very fundamental
principles of equality and non-discrimination of the European Union
and the Council of Europe. Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental
Rights of the European Union prohibits any form of discrimination,
including on the grounds of sexual orientation. Article 13 of the
Treaty of Amsterdam bans 'all forms of discrimination on the grounds
of gender, race or ethnic background, religion or creed, disability
and sexual orientation'. The European Court of Human Rights on a
number of occasions confirmed that sexual orientation discrimination
is clearly in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.
In 2006, a meeting of 29 human rights experts from 25 countries
developed a set of international legal principles on the application
of international law to human rights violations based on sexual
orientation and gender identity to bring greater clarity and coherence
to States' human rights obligations. These are known as The Yogyakarta
Principles.
While all human rights apply to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) people, some are of particular importance. Freedom of
expression is essential for LGBT people to argue in favour of ending
discrimination in the content and application of the law.
Freedom of information is necessary both to obtain information from
others about how to organise and campaign for equality, as well as
medical and sociological information to enable people to protect
themselves. Freedom of Association and Assembly are necessary for LGBT
people to form organisations that work for self-help and equality,
including through public manifestations, such as pride marches.
The proposed amendments by Lithuanian legislators to criminalise
"promotion of homosexual relations in public places" will clearly
violate the enjoyment of these human rights and will severely restrict
the right of NGOs to organise peaceful public events.
For discrimination (i.e. a difference in treatment) to be permitted by
law, it has to be based on "reasonable and objective criteria". What
such criteria might cover is still evolving under international human
rights law, which is a living instrument that is constantly being
developed by judicial bodies. Courts have repeatedly stated that where
sexual orientation is in issue, there is a need for particularly
convincing and weighty reasons to justify a difference in treatment.
Michael Cashman MEP
President of the Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights
Sophie In´t Veld MEP
Vice-President of the Intergroup
Martin K.I. Christensen, Co-Chair,
ILGA-Europe Executive Board