CoE Secretary General: “Prejudice and hypocrisy still exist”
STRASBOURG, December 10, 2011 –
Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland today warned
that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Europeans continue to
face discrimination in many parts of the continent.
“Homosexuality has been decriminalised all over Europe, but prejudice and
hypocrisy still exist towards LGBT persons in Europe,” Mr. Jagland said in a
statement to mark International Human Rights Day.
“Recently, discriminatory laws have been proposed or even adopted, in member
states such as in Lithuania, Ukraine and in some regions of the Russian
Federation.
“This is a violation of basic human rights and a set back to the progress we
have achieved in promoting and protecting human dignity,” he said.
“European governments as well as political and moral leaders know that the
European Convention on Human Rights does not allow for persecution on the
grounds of sexual identity.
“My message on this year’s International Human Rights Day is to always
remember this, and to bear in mind that human rights are for all or they are
for none.”