Pink’s response to the discussions around the adoption of the anti-discrimination draft legislation 

Armenia is once again discussing the adoption of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. For more than ten years,  “Pink” human rights defender NGO and other civil society organizations in Armenia have been speaking out about the need for an anti-discrimination legislation, emphasizing the importance of preventing discrimination, effectively protecting those affected, and ensuring equal opportunities. The adoption of any law must serve the real protection of human rights, not the denial or justification of the discrimination that exists in the country. 

The need to adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation has also been repeatedly noted by international bodies and a number of human rights protection mechanisms, including the Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), the Commissioner for Human Rights, the OSCE/ODIHR, the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR), and other mechanisms. 

The judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in the cases of Oganezova v. Armenia and Minasyan and Others v. Armenia point to gaps in effective protection from discrimination and hate-motivated offenses against lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans+ (LGBT+) people. Moreover, in 2024, within the framework of following up the execution of the judgment in Oganezova v. Armenia, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe urged the Armenian authorities to give clear priority in the draft law to the protection of the rights of LGBT+ people, in line with international standards. 

However, in the draft legislation under discussion, “On Ensuring Equality and Protection from Discrimination,” although sexual orientation is directly included as a protected characteristic, gender identity is absent, contrary to the repeated recommendations of international bodies. The draft also contains problems related to effective judicial protection, the distribution of the burden of proof, and the procedural posibilities of human rights organizations. 

In these circumstances, we consider particularly concerning the public statement of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, which presents the need to adopt an anti-discrimination law as a means of preventing false claims, made by some citizens of Armenia in Europe, of persecution on the grounds of sexual orientation. 

Such an approach deviates from the actual purpose of adopting the law, which is the protection of human rights. The existence of a law does not in itself mean that discrimination and violence in the country have been eliminated or that the state provides effective protection. Moreover, the need for asylum is assessed on the basis of each person’s individual circumstances, taking into account also the real risk of persecution and the effectiveness of state protection. 

Discrimination and violence against LGBT+ people in Armenia are documented realities. In 2025, out of 402 requests for support received from LGBT+ people, “Pink” human rights defender NGO  documented 56 cases of human rights violations accompanied by discrimination, and in the first half of 2026, out of 469 requests, it documented 32 cases of violations. At the same time, the rate of reporting to law enforcement is a matter of concern. In particular, of the 56 cases recorded in 2025, only 8 were reported to law enforcement, and of the 32 cases recorded in the first half of 2026, only 5. When facing discrimination or violence on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, people usually avoid turning to law enforcement because they distrust law enforcement bodies and fear discriminatory and derisive treatment, re-victimization, the unlawful disclosure of personal information, and ineffective investigation, and, as a result, the absence of protection. It should be noted that this data reflects only the cases documented by a single organization, and the scope of violations accompanied by discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity is considerably wider. 

In such a situation, it is unacceptable to speak about the need for protection from discrimination in a mocking manner or in wording that casts doubt on people’s experiences, instead of acknowledging the existing problems and clearly recording the state’s responsibility. 

The real expression of our country’s democracy should be the effective protection of all citizens, including LGBT+ people, from discrimination, the provision of proper support to victims, and effective steps aimed at preventing such violations. What matters is not only the existence of the law, but also its proper and effective application. 

Discussions around the law should be grounded in the existing problems and the real need for protection, and should exclude discriminatory, derisive, and demeaning statements by the highest state authorities, which, by trampling on the dignity of LGBT+ people, further aggravate the atmosphere of intolerance and impunity in the country. 

We call on the authorities of the Republic of Armenia to: 

• Adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation in line with international standards, directly including gender identity, in addition to sexual orientation, in the list of protected characteristics. 

• Demonstrate through clear actions the political will of the Republic of Armenia to protect from discrimination its own citizens and the persons present in the country. 

• Exclude from discussions around the law the exploitation of mocking, discriminatory, and demeaning arguments related to any characteristic of people, including sexual orientation and/or gender identity. 

• Respect, and not devalue, everyone’s private life and dignity, the experience of violence and discrimination on any ground, and the importance of receiving protection in the country, thereby promoting a change in discriminatory attitudes in society and the formation of an approach of tolerance. 

We call on the media to: 

• Refrain from speech that sows intolerance and hostility, and from spreading political manipulation, which may make people targets of discrimination and violence precisely on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. 

• Not reproduce, in discussions around the law, the exploitation of mocking, discriminatory, and demeaning arguments related to any protected characteristic of people, including sexual orientation and/or gender identity. 

In a democratic country, laws are adopted first and foremost to protect the rights of all persons in the country and to ensure equality, not to prove something to the outside world.