Court case against homophobic Latvian MP
11/04/2006
Submitted by
Juris Lavrikovs
The first hearing in the case again Leopolds Ozoliņš, a Latvian MP from the parliamentary faction of the Farmers and the Greens, is scheduled for 12 April 2006 at the court in Jurmala.
Last July, prior to the first LGBT Pride March, Leopolds Ozoliņš came out with a media statement strongly condemning the pride and avalanching LGBT people with offensive and derogatory remarks. The MP is accused of expressing disrespecting and derogatory language towards homosexual people and of breaching ethical and moral standards.
Some of the expressions Leopolds Ozoliņš used include:
• ‘perverse cult’
• ‘recta operators’
• ‘ass-fuckers’
• ‘homosexuality is a very nasty mental disorder’
• ‘homosexuality promotes peadophilia and spread of HIV and hepatitis C’
• ‘homosexuality is perverse, degenerating and human health mutilating lifestyle’,
• ‘I support even such radical decision as to dissolve the European Union if this international organisation under the shelter of democracy will continue to jeer at normal people and basic values of our Nation – family’,.
Leopolds Ozoliņš himself said that the court should examine the facts on the basis of which he made mentioned statement and the court has to listen to his ‘collated evidence that homosexuality is a mental and physical disorder’.
Leopolds Ozoliņš does not recognise the claim however he said he is ready for a settlement and even to apologise proving the applicant admits that homosexuality is a disease, physical and mental degradation.
In his reply to the Jurmala court, Leopolds Ozoliņš made reference to Article 100 of the Latvian Constitution which provide a freedom of expression and Article 10.2 of the European Convention on Human Rights which provide obligation, responsibility and restrictions on this right in order to protect health and morality.
Leopolds Ozoliņš demanded that the court should request from the applicant evidence that applicant is indeed a homosexual and requested from the court to obtain an opinion from the Medical University Department of Psychology on whether homosexuality is a pathology or a norm.
Last July, prior to the first LGBT Pride March, Leopolds Ozoliņš came out with a media statement strongly condemning the pride and avalanching LGBT people with offensive and derogatory remarks. The MP is accused of expressing disrespecting and derogatory language towards homosexual people and of breaching ethical and moral standards.
Some of the expressions Leopolds Ozoliņš used include:
• ‘perverse cult’
• ‘recta operators’
• ‘ass-fuckers’
• ‘homosexuality is a very nasty mental disorder’
• ‘homosexuality promotes peadophilia and spread of HIV and hepatitis C’
• ‘homosexuality is perverse, degenerating and human health mutilating lifestyle’,
• ‘I support even such radical decision as to dissolve the European Union if this international organisation under the shelter of democracy will continue to jeer at normal people and basic values of our Nation – family’,.
Leopolds Ozoliņš himself said that the court should examine the facts on the basis of which he made mentioned statement and the court has to listen to his ‘collated evidence that homosexuality is a mental and physical disorder’.
Leopolds Ozoliņš does not recognise the claim however he said he is ready for a settlement and even to apologise proving the applicant admits that homosexuality is a disease, physical and mental degradation.
In his reply to the Jurmala court, Leopolds Ozoliņš made reference to Article 100 of the Latvian Constitution which provide a freedom of expression and Article 10.2 of the European Convention on Human Rights which provide obligation, responsibility and restrictions on this right in order to protect health and morality.
Leopolds Ozoliņš demanded that the court should request from the applicant evidence that applicant is indeed a homosexual and requested from the court to obtain an opinion from the Medical University Department of Psychology on whether homosexuality is a pathology or a norm.
