UN Special Rapporteur met with Moscow Pride Organizer
24/06/2006
By
Nikolay Alekseev, Human Rights LGBT Project GayRussia.ru
UN Special Rapporteur met with Moscow Pride Organizer
"noone has the right to deprive homosexual people of the freedom to such expression" answered Mr. Ambeyi Ligabo
On June 22nd, in the morning a specially organized meeting of gay activists with the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Mr. Ambeyi Ligabo of Kenya took place in Geneva. It was dedicated to the number of recent homophobic events both in Europe and in Africa. John Fisher of ARC International and head of the Project GayRussia.Ru, Nikolai Alekseev who also organized the first ever gay pride in Moscow, took part in the meeting.
Most of the time during the meeting was devoted to the events around the first Moscow gay pride march on 27 May this year. Special Rapporteur was handed the documents concerning the facts of the breaches of the right of homosexuals to peaceful demonstrations and gatherings by Russian authorities. Mr. Ligabo was also given the reports concerning the events in Moscow compiled by Human Rights Watch as well as ILGA-Europe. Both of the documents contain huge evidence of violence directed at gays and lesbians in Moscow and witnesses evidence of those who was illegally arrested of violently abused on that day in the very centre of Russian capital.
Nikolai Alekseev gave to Mr. Ligabo the DVD with the short movie about the events on 27 May in Moscow released by Project GayRussia.Ru. The movie gives full scope of mass human rights violations of the rights of homosexuals in Moscow. The movie was already shown during the national Italian pride last Saturday in Turin and will be shown this Saturday in Paris and then during Europride in London. The full two hours version is currently being produced and will be released in early August.
During the meeting in Geneva a special stress was made on the fact that Moscow authorities denied to conduct not only gay pride march but also a picket which was planned as a small event with just under 100 participants. This is another proof of the readiness of the organizers of the event to reach compromises and also the proof that Moscow government are ready to ban any forms of homosexual’s realization of their rights to freedom of _expression. The Special Rapporteur was also given the copies of the documents dated March of this year and signed by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov in which he launched the campaign of discreditation of sexual minorities and tried to prevent any public gatherings of homosexuals in Moscow. This is another proof that the ban on the march and the picket on 27 May was issued not because of worries for security but due to the negative attitudes of the Mayor himself to this event.
The Special Rapporteur said during the meeting that all people have the right to public expression and noone has the right to deprive homosexual people of the freedom to such expression. In the nearest future Mr. Ligabo is going to raise the question of the breach of homosexual’s rights to peaceful marches in Moscow with the Russian authorities.
During the meeting on Thursday also similar bans on peaceful gay marches in Poland, Moldova and other countries were discussed. Separately, John Fisher raised the issue of the new bill against all public displays of homosexuality in Nigeria which can be passed at any time.
John Fisher who was also one of the participants of Moscow pride festival last May and Nikolai Alekseev were glad about the meeting and expressed their hope that the Special Rapporteur will raise the issues discussed with the authorities of the relevant states.
The meeting took place at the time when the newly created Human Rights Council started its first session in Geneva. It replaced the UN Human Rights Commission which was abolished in April.
http://www.gayrussia.ru/en/news/detail.php?ID=5778
GayRussia.Ru, from Geneva
"noone has the right to deprive homosexual people of the freedom to such expression" answered Mr. Ambeyi Ligabo
On June 22nd, in the morning a specially organized meeting of gay activists with the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Mr. Ambeyi Ligabo of Kenya took place in Geneva. It was dedicated to the number of recent homophobic events both in Europe and in Africa. John Fisher of ARC International and head of the Project GayRussia.Ru, Nikolai Alekseev who also organized the first ever gay pride in Moscow, took part in the meeting.
Most of the time during the meeting was devoted to the events around the first Moscow gay pride march on 27 May this year. Special Rapporteur was handed the documents concerning the facts of the breaches of the right of homosexuals to peaceful demonstrations and gatherings by Russian authorities. Mr. Ligabo was also given the reports concerning the events in Moscow compiled by Human Rights Watch as well as ILGA-Europe. Both of the documents contain huge evidence of violence directed at gays and lesbians in Moscow and witnesses evidence of those who was illegally arrested of violently abused on that day in the very centre of Russian capital.
Nikolai Alekseev gave to Mr. Ligabo the DVD with the short movie about the events on 27 May in Moscow released by Project GayRussia.Ru. The movie gives full scope of mass human rights violations of the rights of homosexuals in Moscow. The movie was already shown during the national Italian pride last Saturday in Turin and will be shown this Saturday in Paris and then during Europride in London. The full two hours version is currently being produced and will be released in early August.
During the meeting in Geneva a special stress was made on the fact that Moscow authorities denied to conduct not only gay pride march but also a picket which was planned as a small event with just under 100 participants. This is another proof of the readiness of the organizers of the event to reach compromises and also the proof that Moscow government are ready to ban any forms of homosexual’s realization of their rights to freedom of _expression. The Special Rapporteur was also given the copies of the documents dated March of this year and signed by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov in which he launched the campaign of discreditation of sexual minorities and tried to prevent any public gatherings of homosexuals in Moscow. This is another proof that the ban on the march and the picket on 27 May was issued not because of worries for security but due to the negative attitudes of the Mayor himself to this event.
The Special Rapporteur said during the meeting that all people have the right to public expression and noone has the right to deprive homosexual people of the freedom to such expression. In the nearest future Mr. Ligabo is going to raise the question of the breach of homosexual’s rights to peaceful marches in Moscow with the Russian authorities.
During the meeting on Thursday also similar bans on peaceful gay marches in Poland, Moldova and other countries were discussed. Separately, John Fisher raised the issue of the new bill against all public displays of homosexuality in Nigeria which can be passed at any time.
John Fisher who was also one of the participants of Moscow pride festival last May and Nikolai Alekseev were glad about the meeting and expressed their hope that the Special Rapporteur will raise the issues discussed with the authorities of the relevant states.
The meeting took place at the time when the newly created Human Rights Council started its first session in Geneva. It replaced the UN Human Rights Commission which was abolished in April.
http://www.gayrussia.ru/en/news/detail.php?ID=5778
GayRussia.Ru, from Geneva
