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<p> </p><p>Dear friends, I wish to send you my best and supportive greetings on the occasion of the 4th Riga Friendship Days and the 1st Baltic Pride that you will celebrate from 14 May 2009 till 17 May 2009.</p>

<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">As you know, the human rights of LGBT persons are one of the priority themes for my Office. I have observed that lesbians, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons continue to be confronted with discrimination, violence and prejudices in many Council of Europe member states because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as with homophobia and transphobia more generally. Many politicians, opinion leaders and religious leaders have used intolerant speech or worse, incitement to hatred. Too often there is no counter–reaction and too few people stand up against homophobia and transphobia.</p><p> </p><p>Over the past years I have witnessed many problems in some Council of Europe member states regarding unjustified restrictions on the freedom of assembly and association of LGBT people and their organisations. Like you have witnessed on some occasions in Latvia yourself, a large number of Gay Pride festivals are still banned or face violent attacks by demonstrators, sometimes with the failure on the police to provide adequate protection to the participants they are entitled to. Hostility towards Gay Pride Parades is reality in many European cities today.</p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">This is a worrying situation. I wish to reiterate that the Freedom of Assembly is enshrined in Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the case law of the Court is very clear. The State has a positive duty to protect the participants of a demonstration, including if this demonstration may annoy or give offense to persons opposed to the ideas or claims that the demonstration is seeking to promote.</p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Moreover, it would be very good if majors of all cities where PRIDE parades are organised join the ILGA Europe campaign to call for ensuring the freedom of assembly and association for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups in those countries where such rights had been denied or restricted.</p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">I wish you a successful Festival.</p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Thomas Hammarberg</p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights</p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p>

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