CoE Committee of Ministers Calls for Repeal of Anti-LGBT Law
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE) calls on Georgian authorities to repeal the anti-LGBT law on the “protection of family values and minors” that cracks down on LGBT rights, including the freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, in the country.
On March 6, the Committee of Ministers, which supervises the execution of judgements of the European Court of Human Rights, adopted an interim resolution in the Identoba and Others group of cases against Georgia, in which ministers strongly urged Georgia to fight discrimination and hate crimes in line with its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.
The cases concern the failure of the authorities to provide adequate protection against homophobic or religiously motivated attacks and, in some cases, official acquiescence, connivance or participation in acts motivated by prejudice. The cases also concern the failure of the authorities to ensure freedom of assembly for LGBT persons and freedom for religious minorities.
The resolution strongly urges authorities “to accelerate and complete all renewed investigations and trial proceedings, by taking the necessary investigative actions in line with the European Court’s legal and factual findings, ensuring appropriate legal qualification of criminal offences and due consideration of a bias motive, as well as granting victim status to all applicants concerned.”
Considering this, the Committee “deeply deplored” the anti-LGBT law, calling on authorities to repeal it. “According to the Committee, it represents a backward step in the execution of these judgements and raises serious questions about Georgia’s compliance and its obligation to implement the European Court’s rulings,” the resolution notes.
The resolution “strongly exhorted the authorities to renounce discriminatory narrative and unequivocally fight against all forms of discrimination, hate speech and hate crime,” including through a “unambiguous zero-tolerance message” at the highest level and “resolute action” to end impunity;
In addition, the Committee “strongly urged” the authorities to guarantee freedom of assembly and religion for all through stronger protection and prevention measures, as well as a firm criminal justice response to hate-motivated violence.
Also Read:
- 25/02/2025 – Georgian Dream Pushes Amendments to Remove ‘Gender’ from the Legislation
- 20/09/2024 – International Reactions on Adoption of Anti-LGBT Legislation
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