Semi-annual summary of human rights violations (January-June 2020)

In the first half of 2020, starting from January – June, 27 discrimination-based cases related to sexual orientation or gender identity were documented.

As a result of the offenses, the honor and dignity of the victims were abused; physical security, safety, privacy, psychological inviolability, labor, property and a number of other rights were violated.

Out of 27 registered violations only in 12 cases a written or oral applications were submitted to the police regarding the restoration of the violated right. In some cases, it was not the victims who took the initiative, but non-governmental organizations working in the field of protection of the rights of LGBT people, friends or acquaintances of the victims.

5 out of 12 applications submitted to the police were not processed. According to the police, there was no corpus delicti (no proved crime), the offense was of a civil nature. In all cases, the body conducting the proceedings delayed the process of providing information to the applicants about the progress of the case or did not inform them at all about the decisions made.  3 of the people who reported on the abuse refused to file a complaint due to reconciliation with the perpetrator. Currently, only one case is being investigated, but in that case, the body conducting the proceedings, at the request of the victim, was not informed that the hate crime has been committed based on the SOGI of the victim, therefore, this fact has not been examined.

In 2020, from January to June 12 cases of domestic violence were registered, which is 5 more cases than in the same period of the previous year. Only 4 of the victims of domestic violence applied to law enforcement. A warning or urgent intervention order was issued against the perpetrators.