{"id":6580,"date":"2025-10-21T14:34:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T10:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pinkarmenia.org\/news-events\/upr-recs\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T14:44:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T10:44:48","slug":"upr-recs","status":"publish","type":"news_events","link":"https:\/\/pinkarmenia.org\/en\/news-events\/upr-recs\/","title":{"rendered":"Armenia again receives recommendations to protect the rights of LGBT+ people\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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As a result of the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the United Nations, recommendations from other countries to Armenia aimed at improving the level of protection of human rights have been summarized<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Pink” human rights defender NGO participated in the review process for the third time, presenting the situation of LGBT+ individuals and proposing legislative regulations related to discrimination, hate crimes, hate speech, as well as the healthcare needs of trans individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is noteworthy that for about a decade, Armenia has been advised to adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that includes sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics and to ensure the protection of LGBT+ individuals from discrimination in various sectors. At the same time, the draft law “On Ensuring Equality” has been discussed and amended multiple times but has never included explicit protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has supported the recommendations, stating<\/a> that the draft law “On Ensuring Equality” is already prepared and submitted to the National Assembly for consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It should be noted that the adoption of this law was planned for the second half of 2024, according to the action plan derived from the National Strategy on Human Rights. However, civil society organizations, as interested parties, have no information regarding the current status of the draft law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has also been recommended to ensure the proper investigation of hate-motivated crimes committed on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, including aligning national legislation accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State has supported this recommendation as well, stating that the Criminal Code provides for crimes motivated based on certain characteristics, as crimes committed in aggravating circumstances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this regard, attention should be paid to the effective implementation of the new Criminal Code regulations aimed at protecting LGBT+ individuals. So far, an analysis of current practice shows that hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity are not classified as acts committed under aggravating circumstances and are not investigated properly. Therefore, the Government should not limit itself to declarations about legislative changes but must take measures to ensure their effective implementation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has also been recommended to eliminate the requirement of sex reassignment surgery as a mandatory condition for changing gender markers in identity documents for trans individuals, basing the process on the principle of self-determination. The government did not reject the recommendation but only mentioned it as noted, without any further comment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It should be mentioned that the number of recommendations aimed at protecting LGBT+ individuals from discrimination, violence, and hate speech has increased, reaching 24. The following countries made these recommendations: Cuba, Sweden, Portugal, Czech Republic, Uruguay, Norway, Chile, Australia, United Kingdom, Austria, Luxembourg, Ireland, Switzerland, Brazil, Montenegro, Malta, Canada, Belgium, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, and Colombia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, we call on the Government and the National Assembly to: <\/p>\n\n\n\n