On September 17th the Georgian Parliament assumed the anti-LBTQ+ Legislative package in its third hearing with 84 votes in favor and 0 against. The package consists of a core law “On the protection of family values and minors” and 18 related amendments to various laws of Georgia.
Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili spoke on October 3rd signed the anti-LGBT law will come into force after President Salome Zurabishvili rejected to sign the bill, but did not veto it. The speaker, co-author of the homophobic and transphobic bill, had five days to sign and publish the bill after the president refused to do so. The law will come into force 60 days after its publication, more than a month after the crucial October 26 general election.
We have compiled the international reactions to the passage of the anti-LGBT law:
The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): “UNAIDS expresses deep concern about the anti-LGBTQ+ laws recently passed in Georgia, which pose serious risks to public health and human rights… These discriminatory laws violate fundamental rights to autonomy, dignity and equality, increase stigma and hinder access of LGBTQ+ people.” essential health services. This undermines Georgia's efforts to end AIDS and combat other infectious diseases.
UNAIDS reiterates that laws that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people have no place in modern society. They lead to harassment, discrimination, violence and social exclusion and jeopardize efforts to end the HIV epidemic. We call on Georgian authorities to repeal these harmful laws as they will further isolate marginalized communities and worsen public health outcomes. Stigma kills, but solidarity saves lives. Protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ people is critical to promoting public health, social cohesion and equality for all.”
Marc Cools, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe: “I am deeply concerned about the adoption by the Parliament of Georgia of the Law “On the Protection of Family Values and Minors”… This law appears to be fundamentally contradictory to the principles enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and a similar constitutional law. The content previously received a critical statement from the Venice Commission. It denies LGBTI people their human dignity and undermines the values of equality, inclusion and diversity that underpin the cohesion of democratic societies and which Congress resolutely defends and promotes in all regions and municipalities in Europe and beyond.
I am particularly concerned that this legislation will legally oblige Georgian authorities at all levels of government to implement measures that violate human rights, instead of strictly rejecting any form of discrimination, including based on sexual orientation and gender identity, of LGBTI people thus contributing to their stigmatization and social exclusion…I therefore encourage the President of Georgia to veto this law and urge the Georgian Parliament not to override any further presidential veto…”
Josep Borrell, Vice President of the European Commission: “The Georgian Parliament has passed laws on 'family values and the protection of minors' that will undermine the basic rights of the people and increase discrimination and stigmatization. I call on Georgia to withdraw this law, which would further divert the country from its EU path.”
Matthew Miller, spokesman for the US State Department: “…as we have been saying for months, Georgia has moved away from its stated desire and the obvious desire of its people for Euro-Atlantic integration through anti-democratic measures, through crackdowns on vulnerable and marginalized people, and this law fits that very well.”
Margus Tsahkna, Estonian Foreign Minister: “It is disturbing to see Georgia trampling on the rights of some minority groups under the banner of protecting family values.”
German Foreign Ministry: “The legislative package passed by the Georgian Parliament aims to discriminate against LGBTQI people. It violates individual civil rights, as the Venice Commission has highlighted, and distances Georgia further from the EU. We call on Georgia to reverse course.”
Espen Barth Eide, Norwegian Foreign Minister: “Norway regrets Georgia’s adoption of the anti-LGBT+ legislative package. This undermines fundamental human rights, democratic values and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. We urge Georgia to reconsider.”
Embassy of the United Kingdom in Georgia: “The United Kingdom is seriously concerned about the adoption by the Georgian Parliament of the legislative package on “Family Values and Protection of Minors” at third reading. This package undermines fundamental human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and assembly, and risks further stigmatization and discrimination against a part of the Georgian population. This legislation affects the rights of all Georgian citizens. We call on the Georgian authorities to reconsider the legislative package on “Family Values and Protection of Minors”, which, together with the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, imposes restrictions on both civil society and individual Georgians, and highlight the breadth of relations between Great Britain and Georgia in question.”
Sheraz Gasri, French ambassador to Georgia: “The persecution of LGBT+ people in the name of family values and children’s rights contradicts universal human rights and the need to protect everyone from incitement to hatred, violence and discrimination, regardless of the grounds.” Georgia’s anti-LGBT law is a further step backwards on the path of the EU.”
Freedom House: “We strongly condemn today’s decision by the Georgian Parliament, which represents nothing less than an attack on Georgia’s LGBT+ community and the fundamental freedoms of all Georgians.” This move, like the adoption of the “foreign agents” law last year May, derived directly from the Kremlin's authoritarian playbook and once again calls Georgia's democratic course into question. We urge the Georgian government to reverse course.”
Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum: “Our thoughts are with the LGBTQ+ people in Georgia, whose rights are already under scrutiny and are now being further suppressed. We regret that the new law fundamentally violates Article 21 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which prohibits discrimination on any grounds such as gender and sexual orientation. We are saddened that this complicates Georgian society’s path to European integration.”
[box type=”note” align=”” class=”” width=””]This message was updated at 11:53 a.m. on October 3 to include information that the Speaker of Parliament had signed the bill. [/box]
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