Recap | May 2024

ILGA-Europe launched the new Rainbow Map

Published on May 15 by ILGA-Europe, Rainbow Map, which ranks 49 European countries on legislative developments in the arena of LGBTI human rights, shows that while authoritarian leaders across Europe continue to use the scapegoating of LGBTI people to divide and mobilize their electorates, others are conversely showing robust political will to honor commitments to advancing and protecting the human rights of LGBTI people.

Georgia, one the most recent EU accession countries, has been cracking down on pro-EU protests against its proposed ‘foreign agents’ law, which comes directly from the Russian anti-LGBTI playbook.

For the ninth year in a row, Malta continues to occupy the number one spot on the Rainbow Map, with a score of 88%.

The three countries at the other end of the Rainbow Map scale are Russia (2%), Azerbaijan (2%), and Turkey (5%). Russia lost 7 points and dropped 3 places because of the federal legislation banning legal gender recognition and trans-specific healthcare. Previously, Armenia was at the end together with Turkey and Azerbaijan but because of Russia’s new legislative changes, they lost points and changed the place with Armenia. As a result, Armenia moved up, leaving the dictatorship trio.

Pink’s annual report on the Human Rights Situation of LGBT people is released

Pink Human Rights Defender Non-Governmental Organization annually compiles a report summarizing documented violations occurring during services provided to LGBT people. This report focuses on the human rights situation of LGBT people and relies on data obtained from beneficiaries’ submissions and results from the organization’s monitoring activities.

The first section of the report compiles recorded violations for which Pink Human Rights Defender NGO provided consultation and essential support. Cases are categorized according to the rights infringed, though they may encompass violations of multiple rights. Each section provides a concise overview of the violated right in the given situations, drawing upon international documents and interpretations by relevant bodies acting upon these documents. This aims to present the scope of the right’s interpretation, the state’s obligations for their protection, and the necessary measures to clarify the rationale behind qualifying the act.

The second part of the report addresses hate speech, briefly explaining the criteria used to define and identify it and the legal regulations outlined in international documents and the domestic legal system. The report also presents various cases of hate speech, each with different degrees of danger; some are punishable under the RA criminal law, while others are not.

On the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia the discussion on the human rights situation of LGBT people took place

May 17 is the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia which emphasizes the importance of united efforts and fights of LGBT people, activists and other stakeholders to raise the human rights violations towards LGBT people and to create an inclusive society without discrimination, hatred and intolerance.

Along with the message of the day, the roundtable discussion on “The human rights situation of LGBT people in Armenia”, was held by Pink human rights defender non-governmental organization on May 17. The event aimed to discuss with the attendees the possibilities and existing obstacles of the effective investigation of the cases of discrimination and other human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Human rights defenders and LGBT people as well as the representatives of international agencies, embassies, and state bodies, including the representatives of the Human rights defender’s Office RA Ministries of Justice, Internal Affairs and Health participated in the discussion.