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

The Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament) voted today to adopt the controversial “Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information”.  The law was initially approved by the Seimas on 16 June but was vetoed by the Lithuanian President on 26 June.  With a majority of the 140 Seimas representatives required to overcome

Ban on Information About Sexual Orientation Would Endanger Youth (New York, July 13, 2009) – The Lithuanian parliament should not revive a proposed law that had been vetoed by the president, to ban references to gay, lesbian, and bisexual relations in public places, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the speaker of

On July 7 Aušra Rauličkytė, adviser to the President of the Republic of Lithuania, presented the presidential decree returning the proposed amendments to the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information (No. XIP-110Gr) to the Seimas for renewed consideration. The Seimas decided to consider the returned bill once again

Council of Europe Secretary General welcomes decision by President of Lithuania Strasbourg, 02.07.2009 – I am delighted by the news that the President of Lithuania has refused to sign a new law which would have discriminated against the gays and lesbians in Lithuania. His decision should be welcomed by everyone who believes in a modern,

David Cameron has issued an extraordinary apology on behalf of the Conservative Party for legislation banning the promotion of homosexuality in schools. He said the party had ‘got it wrong’ when it introduced Section 28 in the late 1980s. It is one of a series of apologies Mr Cameron has made for his party’s actions

PUBLIC                                                                                     AI Index: EUR 53/002/2009                                                                                                                                               19 June 2009   UA 162/09         Discrimination / Legal concern                            LITHUANIA         Possible adoption of homophobic legislation On 16 June, the Lithuanian parliament (The Seimas) passed a law which includes an amendment which institutionalizes homophobia, violates the right to freedom of expression and the right to

At the last moment, the Seimas [Parliament] refused to legalise the right to mock people’s sexual orientation, beliefs and attitudes, yet decided that any information containing a positive attitude towards homosexual, bisexual or polygamous relations has a negative impact on children. This is what is stated in the proposed Law on the Protection of Minors

Open letter to the attention of:   – José Manuel BARROSO, President of the European Commission – Jacques BARROT, Commissioner for Freedom, Security and Justice – Vladimir SPIDLA, Commissioner for Social Affairs Brussels, 17 June 2009 Dear President, Dear Commissioners, I call on you to urgently publicly express the Commission position on the adoption of

LITHUANIA: PROPOSED LAW WOULD VIOLATE STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ RIGHTS AND REINFORCE HOMOPHOBIA ACT NOW BEFORE THE FINAL VOTE ON 11 JUNE A proposed amendment to the “Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information” would, if passed, prohibit the discussion of homosexuality in schools and ban any reference to it

Dear Commissioner Spidla, On behalf of ILGA-Europe and the LGBT Intergroup of the European Parliament, we are writing to you to express our grave concerns regarding the new draft version of the Law for the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information currently before the Lithuanian Parliament, and to call upon the