A judge denied the request of a US evangelist preacher accused of human rights violations for his support of the Ugandan ‘Kill the Gays’ bill, to have the case against him dismissed. The ruling by Judge Michael Ponsor, means the persecution of people based on sexual orientation or gender identity is considered a crime against
News / LGBT Guide LT / From the World
A Russian TV news anchor isn’t pleased with the country’s anti-gay laws and wants them to be more draconian. Dmitri Kisilev is the anchor of Vesti, the number one news show in Russia. He was a speaking on Russia 1, a program backed by the government. Read more at gaystarnews.com
A new ‘anti-propaganda’ law, similar to those recently enacted in Russia, was discussed and adopted away from public scrutiny and entered into force on 12 July. Politicians specifically sought to avoid debating the bill in public. Moldova’s Contravention Code now forbids the “distribution of public information […] aimed at the propagation of prostitution, paedophilia, pornography
Setting an important legal precedent, Istanbul’s Criminal Court on Monday issued a landmark ruling against a religious Turkish newspaper for its use of anti-gay language, saying it illegally offended LGBT people. The court also stated that such language is not within the scope of freedom expression or press. The court ruled that the newspaper be prosecuted
Today the European Ombudsman ruled in favour of the European Commission, which had been criticised for hosting an exhibition portraying same-sex couples. The Ombudsman said this was fully within the Commission’s powers. In 2011, the European Commission hosted an exhibition by ILGA-Europe calling for equal rights for LGBT people and their families. The ‘Different Families, Same Love’ exhibition had previously been
During an annual press conference, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė commented on a number of topical issues, among which she expressed her stance on the EU-US data protection, gay parade in Vilnius, Lithuania’s participation in tackling youth unemployment and implementation of financial discipline. President Dalia Grybauskaite refused to comment on the LGBT parade until a court
International nongovernmental organization Amnesty International has condemned a decision by Vilnius authorities to ban a gay march through the Lithuanian capital’s central Gedimino Avenue, and pledged to continue pressure on the country’s government. “Maybe I can just say that Amnesty International is very disappointed about the city council’s decision today,” Amnesty International representative Helle Jacobsen
The organisers submitted their request to march on the city’s main avenue during the Pride March, which is scheduled to take place in Vilnius on 27 July, many months ago; the city refused the grant permission to hold the event at the requested venue without offering an alternative. ILGA-Europe is appalled by the failure of
The municipal authorities of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, must allow the upcoming Baltic Pride to take place, Amnesty International said today. After a meeting held today with the Lithuania Gay League, organizers of the 27 July march, and Amnesty International, the Vilnius municipality authorities said the event cannot be held in the city centre and
Today the EU’s 27 foreign affairs ministers adopted a ground-breaking global policy. The LGBTI Guidelines instruct EU diplomats around the globe to defend the human rights of LGBTI people. The Guidelines will be binding. The EU’s diplomatic efforts will revolve around four priorities: Eliminate discriminatory laws and policies, including the death penalty Promote equality and non-discrimination at
A prominent US Christian group that purported to rid gay people of same-sex attraction through prayer has said it is shutting down. Three-decade old Exodus International made the announcement alongside an apology from President Alan Chambers to people “hurt” by its treatment. He acknowledged “the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn’t change.
Today the European Parliament adopted a new version of the European Union law on asylum procedures. The text contains notable improvements for LGBT asylum-seekers. The new Directive now foresees that some asylum-seekers “may be in need of special procedural guarantees due […] to their age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity […]“. When receiving an asylum application, Member