Written declaration No. 525 | Doc. 12984 | 27 June 2012

Disturbing violations of the rights of LGBT people in Russia in recent weeks

Signatories: Mr Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, Denmark, UEL ; Mr José Antonio ALONSO, Spain, SOC ; Ms Karin ANDERSEN, Norway, UEL ; Ms Rossana BOLDI, Italy, EDG ; Mr Michael CONNARTY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Andreja ČRNAK MEGLIČ, Slovenia, SOC ; Mr Don DAVIES, Canada ; Mr Geraint DAVIES, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Jim DOBBIN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Jean-Charles GARDETTO, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Mr Jonas GUNNARSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Carina HÄGG, Sweden, SOC ; Kent HÄRSTEDT, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Håkon HAUGLI, Norway, SOC ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Mr Ramón JÁUREGUI, Spain, SOC ; Mr Michael Aastrup JENSEN, Denmark, ALDE ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Mr László KOSZORÚS, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Ms Sophie LØHDE, Denmark, ALDE ; Mr George LOUKAIDES, Cyprus, UEL ; Ms Pirkko MATTILA, Finland, NR ; Ms Liliane MAURY PASQUIER, Switzerland, SOC ; Sir Alan MEALE, United Kingdom, SOC ; Melita MULIĆ, Croatia, SOC ; Mr Fritz NEUGEBAUER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS, Greece, UEL ; Ms Marietta de POURBAIX-LUNDIN, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Luc RECORDON, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Kathryn REILLY, Ireland, UEL ; Mr Jim SHERIDAN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Björn von SYDOW, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Chiora TAKTAKISHVILI, Georgia, ALDE ; Ms Anette TRETTEBERGSTUEN, Norway, SOC ; Ms Birutė VĖSAITĖ, Lithuania, SOC ; Ms Gisela WURM, Austria, SOC

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

Recent weeks have seen a series of disturbing violations of the rights of LGBT people in Russia including:

• the detention in St Petersburg of 17 activists under the new law prohibiting “propaganda of homosexuality”;
• the conviction of the first person under this law;
• the adoption of a similar law in Novosibirsk;
• the rejection of legal challenges to the St Petersburg and Archangel laws prohibiting “propaganda of homosexuality”;
• injuries to LGBT activists during a demonstration in St Petersburg;
• the banning of the Moscow pride march for the seventh successive year, and the arrest of activists;
• the suppression of a demonstration by thugs in Novosibirsk, unimpeded by police;
• the abandonment of LGBT film festivals in Kemerovo and Novosibirsk, in the face of threats of violence, obstruction by the authorities, and refusal of the police to provide protection.

We call upon the Russian authorities to respect, rather than violate, the rights of LGBT people, and on the Committee of Ministers to insist that Russia respect its obligations as a member State of the Council of Europe.