The Alliance of LGBT and their friends „Mozaika” is gratified by the Regional Administrative Court’s April 12th appellate ruling which states that the decision of the Riga City Council to ban the Pride march planned by the LGBT community and their friends last year was not legal. The Riga City council based their decision on safety considerations and the District Administrative Court upheld this decision which was the reason that the march did not take place last summer.

„The court ruling on April 12, 2007 shows that Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Assembly do exist in Latvia and that the right of the LGBT community to organize a march has been evaluated as having more importance than the desire of some other people to push a certain community out of the public arena by means of threats and violence. This decision is in line with the European practice of Human Rights and the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia”, said “Mozaika” board Chairperson Kristine Garina.

The Riga City Council was not able to prove to the court that it had evaluated the proportionality between the act of banning the march and the state resources that would have been necessary to ensure the safety of participants. The court decision commented on the City Council’s infringement on the rights of the LGBT community by not suggesting an alternative route for the march and by not adequately evaluating the threat posed to the marchers and the resources necessary for neutralizing the threat.

The organization has not yet reached a decision about requesting compensation from the Riga City Council to cover loses incurred when the City Council banned the march. If such a decision is made, Mozaika would only ask for money to cover administrative and legal expenditures.