Georgia must repeal discriminatory law targeting LGBT persons and human rights activists: UN experts

GENEVA (26 September 2024) – The Government of Georgia should repeal the overtly discriminatory legislation recently passed by Parliament, which violates the human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly among others, UN experts* said today.

On 17 September, the Parliament of Georgia passed The Law of Georgia on Family Values and Protection of Minors – with corresponding amendments to the administrative and criminal codes of Georgia – which run counter to Georgia’s national and international human rights legal obligations not to discriminate in the protection of human rights based on any status.

“The recently adopted law ‘on family values and protection of minors’ violates both the national laws of Georgia and international human rights norms and standards,” the experts said. “This discriminatory law promotes bias and further restricts human rights advocacy.”

On 16 September, six experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council sent a letter to the Government urging it not to pass the law.

“This is Georgia’s most expansive restriction on the human rights of LGBT persons and those defending them since the Government joined the United Nations and its human rights treaties two decades ago,” the experts said. “Parliament must immediately reverse course and repeal this discriminatory legislation, and the President should veto it if necessary.”

Although the law’s stated intent is to protect children and “family values”, it actually prohibits equal enjoyment of human rights by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and other gender-diverse (LGBT) persons and those defending their human rights. It provides for discriminatory restrictions on exercising the human rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, including access to information and freedom of the media, the rights to privacy and family life, the right to health, the right to education and the right to work.

In parallel amendments to the administrative and criminal codes of Georgia, the Parliament essentially criminalised defending the human rights of LGBT persons, with threats of fines and years of imprisonment for those who dare to act or speak out against the pernicious legislation.