Lithuania: President Vetoes Homophobic Legislation
On 26 June, Lithuania's President vetoed a law which includes an amendment institutionalizing homophobia, violating the right to freedom of expression and the right to be free from discrimination.
Further Information on UA: 162/09 Index: EUR 53/003/2009 Date: 06 July 2009
URGENT ACTION
PRESIDENT VETOES HOMOPHOBIC LEGISLATION
On 26 June, Lithuania's President vetoed a law which includes an amendment institutionalizing
homophobia, violating the right to freedom of expression and the right to be free from
discrimination.
President Valdas Adamkus sent the “Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public
Information” back to the Lithuanian parliament. Amnesty International will monitor the progress of the law when it
goes back to parliament.
This law prohibits material “that agitate (sic) for homosexual, bisexual and polygamous relations” on the basis that it
causes “detrimental effect to the development of minors”. It classes homosexuality alongside issues such as the
portrayal of physical or psychological violence, the display of a dead or cruelly mutilated body of a person, and
information that arouses fear or horror, or encourages self-mutilation or suicide. This effectively institutionalizes
homophobia and violates the right to freedom of expression and the right to be free from discrimination. Amnesty
International is also concerned that this amendment could be used to restrict the work of human rights defenders
working on issues of human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity.
In spite of this homophobic clause, the law does specify that information having a detrimental effect on the
development of children includes mocking people’s nationality, race, sex, origins, disability, sexual orientation,
social status, language, religion, beliefs and attitudes.
Amnesty International members sent more than 4,000 appeals to the President, calling on him not to sign the law.
Amnesty International will continue to monitor the situation. For the time being, please do not
take any further action. We would like to thank all those who participated in this action for
contributing to this positive outcome.
This is the first update of UA 162/09 (EUR 53/002/2009, 19 June 2009)
Further information:
www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR53/002/2009/en
Date: 03 July 2009
URGENT ACTION
PRESIDENT VETOES HOMOPHOBIC LEGISLATION
Further Information on UA: 162/09, Index: EUR 53/003/2009, Issue Date: 06 July 2009