06/11/2025 President
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Theodoros Rousopoulos, made the following statement today:
“The Latvian parliament has finally listened to the people it represents, allowing the country to continue applying the Istanbul Convention, at least until a new parliament is elected in October 2026. More than 67,400 citizens have signed an online petition in a few days, asking that their country remains in the Convention – their voices deserved to be listened to.
Abandoning the Convention just two years after having ratified it would have had very negative consequences for women victims of violence in Latvia, who need assistance, support and redress.
But we should not be complacent: we are very far from having won the battle against growing disinformation and attacks against the Istanbul Convention and women’s rights.
Our Assembly stands ready to support the Latvian authorities, parliamentarians and political parties in shedding light on the Istanbul Convention and addressing the disinformation and untruths about it that continue to circulate.”