On human rights
Statement by Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the President of Latvia, prior to the Riga Pride 2006
It lies at the very foundations of the Constitution of Latvia that human rights shall be respected in Latvia without any discrimination, which means that nobody must be restricted in his/her activities based on his/her religious beliefs, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender or belonging to some other group. Furthermore, the Constitution guarantees to the residents of Latvia the right to the freedom of speech and assembly, which means guarantees of free expression of one’s views.
It means that each individual, within the limits of the law, has the right to his/her opinion and consequent behaviour, no matter how unpleasant or inconceivable some other members of society may find it. These are the fundamental principles of democracy that apply to each and every case. Departure from any of the principles of democracy destroys democracy itself.
In a democratic state, and Latvia is such a state, the society must respect different views and the rights of different people, including the rights of individuals with a different sexual orientation. Everyone is entitled to have an opinion on that or other matter; however imposing of one’s opinion must not restrict the rights of other people. In cases involving issues on which there are very diverse views in society, it is important to consider what are the bases of the adopted decisions, how lawful and judicially substantiated they are and how they are implemented, to ensure that the interests of all groups of society are respected. The current situation is very emotional and sensitive and it must not be turned into a tool for political fights. It is the duty of the relevant authorities in the decision-making process, carefully to evaluate all these aspects.
