LITHUANIA: President's veto of law on homosexuality is overturned

Lithuania's parliament has backed a bill that censors certain information, including on homosexuality, from reaching minors.

MPs overturned a presidential veto of the child-protection law, which critics say could institutionalise homophobia.

The legislation would ban the public dissemination of information considered harmful to minors.

This covers material on homosexuality, bisexuality and polygamy, as well as depictions of violence and death.

Critics argue that the legislation will marginalise and harm gay, lesbian and bisexual children, and prevent them from accessing health care and other services.

The law, described by an MEP as “a spit into the face of European values”, would also apply to “other places accessible to youngsters”.

Eighty-seven of the 141 MPs supported the bill, while only six were against.

Correspondents say homosexuality is frowned upon by many in Lithuania, where the majority of the 3.3 million population is Catholic.

The authorities have in the past prevented gay rights activists from holding public gatherings, or struggled to protect them from attack.

'Rotten culture'

Last month, MPs approved the "law on the protection of minors against the detrimental effect of public information", but outgoing President Valdas Adamkus refused to sign it before he left office.

His successor, Dalia Grybauskaite, is not able to re-impose the veto on the legislation and is required to sign it within three days, after which it will take effect.

The head of the Lithuanian Gay League (LGL), Vladimir Simonko, said parliament had "demonstrated its will to institutionalise homophobia".

The human rights group, Amnesty International, meanwhile warned that the law could be used to prohibit any legitimate discussion of homosexuality, impede the work of human rights defenders and further the stigmatisation of and prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Lithuania.

"This law is a clear infringement of freedom of expression and non-discrimination rights and should be repealed immediately," said Amnesty International UK's LGBT Campaigner Kim Manning-Cooper.

Before the presidential veto, a stream of organisations expressed their dismay at the move.

“We are shocked that the Lithuanian legislator took such a regressive step in relation to combating discrimination,” commented Linda Freimane, co-chair of ILGA-Europe’s Executive Board.

“The experience in the UK with the very similar piece of legislation has already proven how this kind of legislation directly impacts LGB people generally and young LGB people in particular."

In 2002 the Committee recommended that the UK government: “Provide adequate information and support to homosexual and transsexual young people, and encourages the State party, further to the statement of intent made by its delegation to repeal section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, where it applies”.

Section 28 was a piece of legislation that stated that local authorities in England and Wales may not “intentionally promote homosexuality” or “promote the teaching of... the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretend family relationship”.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have released statements strongly criticising the law.

[Sources: BBC news; UK Gay News]

Further information

pdf: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8150616.stm

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