Thousands of Orthodox Christians attacked gay rights activists in Tbilisi on May 17, 2013. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia passed a law against discrimination three years ago, and in return the European Union gave its citizens visa-free travel to Europe. But the local human rights watchdog now says the anti-discrimination law is not being fully implemented. […]
Sarah Delys is a criminologist working for Human Rights Education and Monitoring Centre in Tbilisi. Earlier this summer the UN Human Rights Committee published its concluding observations on Georgia’s fourth periodic report. The report praises the Government of Georgia on a number of positive steps, both at the legislative and the institutional level. Nevertheless, […]
Conservative Orthodox Christians in Georgia have gathered 30,000 signatures to remove a phrase in a new law which specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–30 000 people in Georgia have signed a document demanding changes in a newly adopted anti-discrimination law. The Union of Genus Leaders has been gathering signatures since May 17, International Day Against Homophobia, and asked […]
From left to right: Zviad Devdariani, Giorgi Gotsiridze, Lina Ghvinianidze and Rusiko Machaidze. (Click to watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Representatives of NGOs say a new law recently introduced by Georgia to eliminate all forms of discrimination lacks an enforcement mechanism, and question whether it will be effective. DF Watch recently brought together Lina Ghvinianidze, […]
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian president has signed a new anti-discrimination law, and it has therefore come into force. The Georgian Orthodox Church was against the law because it in their opinion ‘legalizes homosexuality’, and wanted to remove ‘sexual […]
Transsexuals demonstrated outside a TV studio in Gori Saturday, after being excluded from a debate about a new anti-discrimination law. (Trialeti.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Transsexuals demonstrated outside a TV studio in Georgia on Saturday because they were not allowed to take part in a debate about a new anti-discrimination law. Locals in Gori, a town close to the capital, came to the studio building of Trialeti TV […]
Priests organized several demonstrations against the bill, here outside parliament in Tbilisi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Lawmakers in Georgia on Thursday passed an anti-discrimination bill after being pressured from the European Union. The bill was slightly modified after criticism from the Orthodox Church. The Georgian Orthodoc Church was opposed to the bill because […]
Priests demonstrated outside parliament Tuesday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Clerics in Georgia don’t want a Europe where ‘homosexuality is legalized,’ and call on parliament to not pass an anti-discrimination law required for the signing of an association agreement with the EU. The Georgian parliament has two more […]
Georgian Patriarch Ilia II. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian Orthodox Church is opposed to a draft anti-discrimination bill, which is currently making its way through parliament. Clerics there want to remove ‘sexual orientation’ from the text. But human rights activists and Tbilisi-based NGOs […]
Sarah Delys is a criminologist working for Human Rights Education and Monitoring Centre in Tbilisi. The Ministry of Justice of Georgia has been working on a draft anti-discrimination law since early 2013. In December last year it was passed on to the government for review and this government-proposed bill was sent to the Parliament for approval on March 28. Several […]
