Recap | May 2025
Annual report on the human rights situation of LGBT+ people
On May 15, Pink Human Rights Defender NGO released its 2024 annual report on the human rights situation of LGBT+ people. The report documents both the challenges faced by individuals who received legal and social support and the incidents of hate speech prevalent in the public sphere, highlighting the systemic issues LGBT+ individuals face in Armenia.
This report testifies that the challenges facing LGBT+ individuals in Armenia remain unresolved both legally and socio-culturally. The organization calls on state institutions and civil society actors to join efforts in building an inclusive society that respects human dignity.
Here you can read about the report and download the full version of the report.
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT)
Ahead of the day, Pink Human Rights NGO organized a discussion, where the annual report on the human rights situation of LGBT+ people was presented.
Opening remarks were made by the Executive Director of Pink NGO, the Deputy Ambassador of Sweden, the Ambassador of the European Union, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations, and the Advisor to the Ombudsperson of the Republic of Armenia.
In the second part of the event, Pink NGO specialists presented the report, ranging from statistics to analysis of individual cases. After the presentation of the report, an active discussion and question and answer session took place, during which the participants raised many topics, from discrimination against LBQ women to systemic changes and progress recorded in the field of protection of the rights of LGBT+ people.
ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map
As ILGA-Europe unveiled its 2025 Rainbow Map, Armenia’s position remains alarmingly static. Consistently ranking near the bottom among 49 European countries, Armenia’s lack of progress in advancing LGBTI rights underscores a persistent human rights issue.
Since the decriminalization of homosexuality in 2003, Armenia has made minimal strides in protecting its LGBTI citizens. The country lacks comprehensive anti-discrimination laws, leaving LGBTI individuals vulnerable to systemic bias and violence. While the Ministry of Justice introduced a draft anti-discrimination law, it fails to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories, rendering it insufficient in addressing the specific challenges faced by the LGBTI community.
Without decisive action, Armenia risks further entrenching discrimination and isolating itself from the broader European community committed to equality and human rights.
Key recommendations from the UN Universal Periodic Review on LGBT+ people
During Armenia’s 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), numerous states urged the country to take decisive action to protect and promote the rights of LGBT+ individuals. The consistent emphasis across recommendations was the urgent need for comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation explicitly recognizing sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics. This reflects a growing international consensus that LGBT+ rights must be embedded within Armenia’s broader human rights framework.
It is noteworthy that during each subsequent cycle of the UN Universal Periodic Review, the amount of recommendations to ensure the protection of the rights of LGBT+ persons is increasing. This is due to the fact that despite numerous legislative amendments and the adoption of policies, the rights of LGBT+ persons continue to remain marginalized.
