The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani made the following statement on Russia.
“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, is calling on Russian legislators to repeal and not to expand the anti LGBTI bill,”
“Mr. Türk, is deeply concerned about this latest development, which infringes even further on international human rights norms and standards,” Shamdasani said.
On Thursday, the Russian parliament – the State Duma – adopted proposals to broaden a ban on any discussion and sharing of information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and their human rights.
“The proposals would expand an existing law from 2013, which been extensively examined and condemned by UN human rights experts as discriminatory, violating fundamental rights to freedom of expression, and leading to an increase in hate speech, hate crimes, and abuse, including against children,” she said.
“The legislative amendments worsen this situation by broadening the scope of the law to a blanket ban on all communications on the subject, including to adults. The proposals also target the rights of transgender people,” the spokesperson said.
“The High Commissioner appeals to legislators, who will consider the proposals in a further two readings, to reject this proposal, and to instead repeal the existing law and take urgent steps to prohibit and actively combat both discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Shamdasani said.
Türk also notes that exclusion, stigmatisation and discrimination of any group within a society is corrosive, is a root cause of violence, and has a negative impact on society as a whole, she added.
For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva: Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org Jeremy Laurence + +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org or Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org In Nairobi Seif Magango - +254 788 343 897 / seif.magango@un.org
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
- Exterior shot: Palais des Nations, Geneva.
- Wide shot: wide shot press conference
- Soundbite (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “ Türk, is deeply concerned about this latest development, which infringes even further on international human rights norms and standards,” Shamdasani said.
- Cut aways: Briefing room
- Soundbite (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “ “The proposals would expand an existing law from 2013, which been extensively examined and condemned by UN human rights experts as discriminatory, violating fundamental rights to freedom of expression, and leading to an increase in hate speech, hate crimes, and abuse, including against children,” she said.
- Cut aways: Briefing room
- Soundbite (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “ “The legislative amendments worsen this situation by broadening the scope of the law to a blanket ban on all communications on the subject, including to adults. The proposals also target the rights of transgender people,” the spokesperson said.
- Cut aways: Briefing room
- Soundbite (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “ “The High Commissioner appeals to legislators, who will consider the proposals in a further two readings, to reject this proposal, and to instead repeal the existing law and take urgent steps to prohibit and actively combat both discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Shamdasani said.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk is gravely concerned by the escalating violence in and around El-Fasher city, North Darfur, where dozens of people have been killed in the past two weeks as hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have intensified., UN Human Rights spokesperson Seif Magango told the biweekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) briefed the journalist on the latest development in Iran.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
"WHO warns of widespread misuse of antibiotics during COVID-19 pandemic, fueling antimicrobial resistance."
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | FAO , UNHCR , UNICEF , WFP
Launch of the Global Report on Food Crises 2024
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Summary: OHCHR - Ravina Shamdasani addresses the Israel-Occupied Palestinian Territory situation.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNHCR
Summary: The UK-Rwanda asylum law has raised concerns from UN High Commissioners due to potential harmful consequences on global responsibility-sharing, human rights, and refugee protection. The legislation allows for the transfer of asylum-seekers to Rwanda without thorough consideration of individual circumstances or protection risks.