Georgia in CoE Report on LGBT Rights

The Current Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe’s (CoE) Congress of Local and Regional Authorities adopted yesterday a report on LGBT rights, naming Georgia among countries “restricting the work of civil society and human rights defenders,” “via measures often specifically targeting” LGBT organizations.

The report, penned by Rapporteurs Andrew Boff (UK, CRE) and Yoomi Renström (Sweden, SOC/G/PD), cited ILGA-Europe, an LGBT rights advocacy group, in identifying “growing official hate speech from political and religious leaders” in Georgia.

It also recalled a 2019 legislative initiative by the Kremlin-friendly Alliance of Patriots party to remove “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” from eight Georgian laws against discrimination.

The report said that although the Parliament of Georgia did not adopt the said bill, “legislative proposals to remove protections for LGBTI people contribute to a hostile environment.”

The report also recalled that “the Tbilisi Pride march in 2019 had to be canceled due to fears of far-right groups’ attacks.”

Also Read:

• Study: Homophobic Hate Speech on the Rise in Georgia
• Organizers Say Tbilisi Pride Postponed
• Tbilisi Pride Announced, Cancelled Again Citing Threats

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