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MEPs and NGOs Protest Against Harmful and Anti-Gay Law in Lithuania

New law is “a spit in the face of the European values” – Cashman
 

 
BRUSSELS, June 24, 2009  –  Members of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on gay and lesbian rights will today join other people and NGOs in a demonstration outside the Lithuanian permanent representation in Brussels to protest against new homophobic and oppressive law in Lithuania.

On June 16, the Lithuanian parliament adopted an amended Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information.

According to this law, “propaganda of homosexuality and bisexuality” is one of the detrimental effects on the minors and information on homosexuality and bisexuality is banned from schools and any other places where it can be accessed by youth.

“It is my duty as an elected member of the European Parliament to act strongly against grave attempts to diminish human rights of EU citizens”, Michael Cashman, president of the European Parliament’s all-party Intergroup.

“This new law is a spit in the face of the European values.  To limit freedom of expression based on homophobia is a clear breach of EU’s fundamental rights and principles.”

Joining Mr. Cashman in condemnation of the new law, which is now with the Lithuanian President for signature, is Simon Maljevac, chairperson of IGLYO (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Youth and Student Organisation).

“Our recent research, Social Exclusion of Young LGBT People in Europe, brought to light the fact that young gays and lesbians experience high levels of physical and psychological violence all over the European Union,” he said this morning.

“We found that the highest levels occurred in schools.  Similar surveys from other countries find that suicide rates among young LGBT people are up to 10 times higher than among their heterosexual fellows.

“All this suffering is caused by stigmatisation, intolerance and lack of access to information about homosexuality which young people need, both to understand their identity and to respect others differences.  The new Lithuanian law will render even higher levels of suffering.

“We deplore the adoption of this law – it will harm young people, not protect them,” Mr. Maljevac said.

Lithuania now is the only country in Europe which has such discriminatory and stigmatising legislation.

“Such legislation is clearly a discriminatory and dangerous move which is against the principles of the European Union, the Council of Europe and the United Nations,” Vytautas Valentinavičius, the chairperson of Tolerant Youth Association in Lithuania said earlier this week.

“Young people, including young LGB people, deserve the same dignity and the same right to be protected, educated, and have an opportunity to achieve their full potential.

“Instead Lithuania just legitimised exclusion and discrimination against a whole fraction of the society by instituting a second class citizenship status to young LGB people and ripped them off of any support and protection.”

Nicola Duckworth, Europe director at Amnesty International in London, said last week that in passing the bill, the Lithuanian Parliament has “reinforced discrimination” based on a person’s sexual orientation.

“The amendment denies the right to freedom of expression and deprives students of access to the support and protection they may need,” she said in a statement.  “The new law is part of a growing climate of intimidation and discrimination in Lithuania against lesbians, gay men and bisexual and transgender people.”

“An EU initiative, the For Diversity, Against Discrimination touring truck, was banned in Vilnius and Kaunas on 20 August 2008.  The Mayor of Kaunas said that [the] homosexual festival may cause many negative emotions,” she pointed out.

In a letter to José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, Dirk De Meirleir, executive director of ILGA-Europe, urged the Commission “to take all necessary measures” to ensure that the Lithuanian government complies with European and international human rights instruments.

“President Barroso, we call on you not to forget, as you recognized yourself in 2004 before the European Parliament, that the fight against all forms of discrimination requires decisive political action by the European Union,” Mr. De Meirleir wrote.

“We ask you to take decisive action by condemning a law which is not compatible with the principles of equality and non-discrimination which are core values of the European Union.”

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