Lithuanian Appeals Court Says Baltic Pride 2010 Can Proceed

By Kenneth F. Hunt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

VILNIUS, Lithuania – On Friday May 7, a Lithuanian appellate court approved a gay pride parade scheduled for Saturday May 8 in the country’s capital of Vilnius.

The Supreme Administration Court of Lithuania, located in Vilnius, overturned a decision earlier in the week by a lower court in anticipation of Saturday’s parade. The Baltic Pride Parade 2010 is expected to draw hundreds of Lithuanian participants, as well as persons from other countries.

That decision, on Wednesday May 5, banned the protest in anticipation of violence.  The lower court’s decision was based on its determination that national and local authorities would be unable to guarantee the safety of the participants in the parade.  More than a thousand protesters and opponents of the parade are now expected to attend.

After the decision, a number of human rights groups protested what they perceived to be an intolerable disregard for gay rights, but did not expect a reversal on appeal.  Those human rights group accused the lower court judge and the Lithuanian Attorney General of masking homophobia with illegitimate public safety concerns.

However, the Supreme Administration Court, perhaps surprisingly, held that the rights of freedom of assembly and freedom of expression trump safety concerns.  The Court declared that “those who share unpopular points of view or are members of minority groups” must be protected.

The Court also ruled that the lower court decision ban on the parade would have violated multiple articles of the European Convention on Human Rights.

This decision was surprising to many Lithuanians, given the country’s spotty record of protecting the rights of its gay citizens.  It was especially unexpected given the people of Lithuania’s, and its government’s, overwhelmingly negative attitudes towards gay rights issues.

73 percent of respondents to a recent poll opposed the planned parade in Vilnius.  Also, more than 80 percent of Lithuanians consider homosexuality to be a disease according to a 2006 poll.  Moreover, the Lithuanian government has been criticized by human rights groups and the European Union, of which Lithuania is a member, for endemic disregard for sexual minorities within the country.

No major gay pride event has been permitted in the country since its inception in 1991, so Saturday’s parade will be the country’s first ever. Moreover, the Lithuanian Parliament in 2009 tried to pass a bill that would prevent public officials and educators from providing information about homosexuality from children.  The bill ultimately failed, but nevertheless showed the officially sanctioned disinformation plaguing the former Soviet republic.

For more information, please see:

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL – Lithuania’s Baltic Pride March Gets Green Light – 7 May 2010

ASSOCIATED PRESS – Lithuanian court reverses ban on gay pride parade – 7 May 2010

CARE2 – Lithuania’s Gay Pride Gets a Boost as Baltic Pride 2010 March is Reinstated – 7 May 2010

Author: Impunity Watch Archive