As reported by the Center for Human Rights, more than 2,500 Lithuanian residents signed the appeal to the members of the Seimas on the portal manoteises.lt.
The appeal to members of the Seimas was initiated by the Lithuanian Human Rights Center, the Council of Lithuanian Youth Organizations, the Lithuanian School Students’ Union, the Family Association, Mothers for LGBTQ+ Children and the Human Rights Monitoring Institute.
It states that when the amendment to the Law on the Protection of Minors from the Negative Effects of Public Information was rejected at the beginning of November at the submission stage, according to which information about same-sex families would not be considered harmful information for minors, the Constitutional Court remained the only possibility to ensure the rule of law.
“The Seimas members who voted against the amendment ignored the decision of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The ECHR stated that Lithuania shamefully restricted the freedom of speech of the writer Neringa Macatė. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania should evaluate whether the existence of such a norm does not contradict the freedom of speech and the principle of equality enshrined in the Constitution,” says Monika Guliakaitė-Danisevičienė, head of advocacy at the Lithuanian Center for Human Rights.
As announced, the appeal to the members of the Seimas was also supported by the Association of Tolerant Youth, Ribology, the House of Diversity Education, the Lithuanian Debate Center – VŠĮ “Informal Education Debate Center”, Mental Health Perspectives, Equal Opportunities Development Center, Open Lithuania Foundation, Equalities Association, National LGBT rights organization LGL, Diversity Development Group, Public institution “Europos namai”, Development Cooperation Platform, Center for Digital Ethics, Vilnius Waldorf School.
Emil Mikulskis, vice-president of the Lithuanian School Students’ Union, says that the Law on the Protection of Minors creates a negative attitude towards a group of citizens of the state due to their sexual orientation and choice of whom to love.
“No other Western European country has such a restriction, but from our point of view, do we want to emulate a country like Russia?” Human rights are one and the same rights for all. Therefore, the Lithuanian School Students’ Union supports the appeal to the Constitutional Court. It’s enough to censor our own people,” says E. Mikulskis.
In the appeal addressed to the members of the Seimas, it is reminded that the civil society has been litigating in the courts for nine years, which led to the decision of the ECHR. However, according to the authors of the appeal, civil society no longer has the tools to ensure the supremacy of rights in Lithuania.
“LGBTQ+ people are just as important to our citizens as any other person. The current version of the Law on the Protection of Minors from the Negative Effects of Public Information makes them feel unwelcome and rejected. We must treat each other with more respect”, says Umberto Masi, President of the Council of Lithuanian Youth Organizations.
International Human Rights Day will be celebrated on Sunday. On this day in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted.
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2024-07-26 00:57:06
