This written declaration does not reflect the position of the Assembly; only of those members that have signed it. It will not be considered further by the Assembly.
The Russian authorities continue their campaign to stigmatise
LGBT people. For example:
In September President Putin argued that recognition of same-sex
partnerships was “a direct path to degradation and …. a profound
demographic and moral crisis.” In December, he argued that tolerating
non-traditional relations was to “accept without question the equality
of good and evil.”
In November the Ombudsman for children’s rights said “the
so-called freedom of relations does not give a small minority the
right to destroy humanity …. and to throw our children into chaos.”
In November the Chairman of the Constitutional Court spoke
against “attempts to forcefully impose (by propaganda and regulations)
on our society ….. the requirements of tolerance to any sexual and
gender ‘emancipation’.”
In November state television presented a fake documentary
purporting to expose a foreign conspiracy to ‘propagandise’ homosexuality
and corrupt Russia’s moral and spiritual values. The show’s host
accused the West of seeking to “destroy Russia”, and referred to
LGBT people as “perverts” or “sodomites”.
This campaign of demonisation is unleashing yet more violence
and discrimination against LGBT people. We call on the Russian authorities
to bring it to an end and on the Council of Europe to condemn it
unreservedly.
