Earlier this afternoon, Sandra Kukule, Legal Advisor to the Latvian President held a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Welfare, Human Rights Centre, Legal Office of Saeima, Latvia's Pirma Partija's representatives including parliamentarian Jānis Šmits as well as Mozaika at the President's Chancery in Riga. The meeting's topic was the Labour Law passed at the Saeima last week which failed to include the amendment concerning discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
The general tone of the meeting was rather formal as most parties present dealt mainly with legal implications of not complying with the EU directive on discrimination in work places. Both representatives of the Ministry of Welfare and the Human Rights Centre argued that the law in its present form must be rejected by the President and sent back to Saeima. Not surprisingly, LPP represantatives argued that discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation is implicitly included in the clause which reads "and other situations" to which, of course, Mozaika and the Human Rights Centre strongly objected. Jānis Šmits raised a few eyebrows by exclaiming that heterophobia prevails in Latvia and even yours truly has been personally labelled as a heterophobe! Taking into consideration the level of argumentation shown by LPP and the clear stance on the part of both the Ministry of Welfare and the Human Rights Centre there is a good reason to believe that the law will be rejected by the President.

Andrejs Visockis, "Mozaika"
20/06/2006

"Mozaīka"
Address: Alberta iela 13 - 17 (2.floor)
Telephone: 7039208
Mobile: 28618135
E-mail: info@mozaika.lv
www.mozaika.lv