The Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner conducted a meeting with Russian LGBT activists
25/04/2008
By
Russian LGBT Network
On Sunday 20 April presently situating in Moscow the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg took a meeting with the representatives of Russian LGBT-communities.
This meeting has been planning by the commissioners corps for the long time.
Several members of Russian LGBT Network (Network’s executive director Igor’ Petrov; director of Charity Found “Rainbow” Ruslan Zuev; head of the Tumens “Rainbow House” Alexander Zhdanov; fixer of the service “Nuntiare et Recreare” Valeriy Silant’ev), Internet-project Anti-dogma info representative, program director of the ILGA-Europe Maxim Anmeghichean and representatives of the LGBT-Rights organization.
Participants of the meeting told Mr. Hammarberg about gays, lesbian and transgenders current situation in modern Russia – from the most general problems to the particular cases of homophobia.
For example, Igor’ Petrov claimed that state today refuses to accept the fact of the existence of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Moreover, the commissioner was told about current and coming projects of the Russian LGBT Network.
Thomas Hammarberg asked several questions about cases of coming-out among celebrities in Russia, what is said in schoolbooks about homosexuality, about situation in army and others. LGBT-activists did their best to answer these questions to the full.
Participants of the meeting attracted special attention on the refusal of officials to register Tumens LGBT-organization “Rainbow House”. Alexander Zhdanov told about the situation around his organization in detail.
We have to note that Mr. Hammarberg attentively listen every participant of the meeting. The whole meeting lasted for two hours instead of planned one hour that certainly shows the interest of the commissioner in the discussed matters.
At the end Thomas Hammarberg thanked everyone for coming to the meeting. He also let know that on the 12th of May there would be a special report on his official site. In this report he would cover the situation with the LGBT rights, including situation in Russia. That report would be both Hammarberg and the Council of Europe point of view.
The main result of the meeting was establishment of the friendly dialogue between Thomas Hammarberg and Russian organizations. The main purpose of the advocate on the present day was named. The purpose is to make state and its officials recognize officially existence of the problems of discrimination and homophobia.
lgbtnet.ru
This meeting has been planning by the commissioners corps for the long time.
Several members of Russian LGBT Network (Network’s executive director Igor’ Petrov; director of Charity Found “Rainbow” Ruslan Zuev; head of the Tumens “Rainbow House” Alexander Zhdanov; fixer of the service “Nuntiare et Recreare” Valeriy Silant’ev), Internet-project Anti-dogma info representative, program director of the ILGA-Europe Maxim Anmeghichean and representatives of the LGBT-Rights organization.
Participants of the meeting told Mr. Hammarberg about gays, lesbian and transgenders current situation in modern Russia – from the most general problems to the particular cases of homophobia.
For example, Igor’ Petrov claimed that state today refuses to accept the fact of the existence of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Moreover, the commissioner was told about current and coming projects of the Russian LGBT Network.
Thomas Hammarberg asked several questions about cases of coming-out among celebrities in Russia, what is said in schoolbooks about homosexuality, about situation in army and others. LGBT-activists did their best to answer these questions to the full.
Participants of the meeting attracted special attention on the refusal of officials to register Tumens LGBT-organization “Rainbow House”. Alexander Zhdanov told about the situation around his organization in detail.
We have to note that Mr. Hammarberg attentively listen every participant of the meeting. The whole meeting lasted for two hours instead of planned one hour that certainly shows the interest of the commissioner in the discussed matters.
At the end Thomas Hammarberg thanked everyone for coming to the meeting. He also let know that on the 12th of May there would be a special report on his official site. In this report he would cover the situation with the LGBT rights, including situation in Russia. That report would be both Hammarberg and the Council of Europe point of view.
The main result of the meeting was establishment of the friendly dialogue between Thomas Hammarberg and Russian organizations. The main purpose of the advocate on the present day was named. The purpose is to make state and its officials recognize officially existence of the problems of discrimination and homophobia.
lgbtnet.ru
