If the Baltic state perseveres with new homophobic laws, it has no place in the European Union How would you feel if your government tried to render you invisible? If they denied you access to healthcare or healthcare information? Isolated you from people like yourself? Prevented you from having a relaxed, fulfilling romantic life? Stigmatised

To Mr. Stasys Sedbaras Chairman of the Committee of Legal Affairs of the Seimas * * * * * Dear Mr. Sedbaras, We are writing to you on behalf of EGALITE which stands for “Equality for Gays And Lesbians In The European institutions”. Our association aims at combating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

The European Parliament Intergroup on Lesbian and Gay Rights has written to MPs in Lithuania about new legislation that aims to criminalise ‘propagation of homosexual relations’. Along with gay rights group ILGA-Europe, the MEPs said the proposed amendments are a severe limitation of freedom of speech and a breach of the principles of equality and

Amsterdam, August 20th, 2009-08-20 Concerns:        Law developments XIP-668(2) and XIP-667(2)                        Dear Mr. Sedbaras, With this letter we intend to express our concerns in regards to proposed amendments which will criminalize the ‘propagation of homosexual relations’, which is currently under consideration of the Committee on Legal Affairs, which you are chairing. We are sincerely concerned

Open letter to the attention of:   Mr Šedbaras, chairman of the Committee of Legal Affairs, Lithuanian Parliament by email and by fax Brussels, August 21, 2009 Dear Mr Šedbaras, We are writing to you on behalf of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Lesbian and Gay Rights and ILGA-Europe, the European Region of the International Lesbian,

21st August 2009 To: Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs in Lithuanian Parliament Mr. Stasys Sedbaras Dear Mr. Chairman, We, the Campaign Against Homophobia in Poland, are extremely concerned about the new proposed amendments which your Committee is considering for introduction in September sessions. These are: Amendment to the Penal Code (registered under number

Mr Šedbaras, chairman Committee of Legal Affairs, Lithuanian Parliament by email August 22, 2009 Dear Mr Šedbaras, We are writing to you on behalf of LGBT Labour in the UK to express our deep concerns in reltion to the proposed Amendment to the Criminal Code XIP-668(2) and the proposed Amendment to the Administrative Code XIP-667(2) which

To: Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs in Lithuanian Parliament Mr. Stasys Sedbaras CC: Ombudsperson for Equal Opportunities Ms. Ausrine Burneikiene Board Chair of the Lithuanian Gay League Mr. Vladimir Simonko Mr. Chairman, I am writing this letter from Tbilisi, Georgia. My name is Paata Sabelashvili and I am chairperson of Inclusive Foundation, an

Special Procedures Division c/o Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Office of the United Nations in Geneva 8-14, Avenue de la Paix 1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland To the attention of: Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Special Rapporteur on the right

2009 07 27 VILNIUS – On July 20, the new Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, who was inaugurated to her post on July 12, met with European Union ambassadors residing in Lithuania and promised to make changes in the recently adopted Lithuanian “law on the protection of minors against the detrimental effect of public information.” The

After Lithuanian lawmakers approved a bill to keep material deemed harmful away from children – including information about homosexuality – some EU parliamentarians and rights groups are considering what to do next. European members of parliament, including that body’s gay and lesbian working group, as well as human rights groups are weighing their options regarding

VILNIUS – Seimas (Lithuanian parliament) has drawn harsh criticism from local and international human right groups for pushing through a set of controversial laws that are “flagrantly discriminatory” toward homosexuals. The laws, which override a previous presidential veto, put newly-elected President Dalia Grybauskaite in a difficult position during her very first week in Presidency by