SOGI Newsroom
LGBTI-related case assigned to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, the most important judicial formation of the court
The Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights has relinquished jurisdiction of the case Macatė v. Lithuania relating to an LGBTI fairy tale book deemed "harmful" for children under the age of 14 to the Grand Chamber of the Court. A Grand Chamber hearing is rather exceptional, and concern...
New factsheet on the execution of the ECHR judgments related to LGBTI persons rights
The Council of Europe Execution of ECHR judgments Department issued today a new thematic factsheet focusing on the execution of ECHR judgments concerning the rights of LGBTI persons. According to the European Court of Human Rights, the principle of non-discrimination is "fundamental" and...
Copenhagen 2021 - WorldPride & EuroGames
Deputy Secretary General Bjorn Berge addresses Human Rights Conference in Copenhagen
“Much progress has been achieved in Europe and many LGBTI people can march in many streets throughout our continent, stating their rightful pride in who they are, but much more remains to be done,” said Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjorn Berge today in his address to the...
Council of Europe at the Human Rights Conference - 17-19 August
WorldPride and EuroGames in Copenhagen and Malmö, 12–22 August 2021
The Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Björn Berge, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, and the SOGI Unit are proudly participating in the Human Rights Conference of WorldPride Copenhagen–Malmö and EuroGames 2021, the most important event to promote Pride – LGBTI...
Commissioner for Human Rights warns about the harmful trend of political manipulation of homophobia and transphobia in Europe that “must be tackled without further delay”
Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights published a Human Rights Comment on political manipulation of homophobia and transphobia with examples from all over Europe. The Commissioner affirmed how her office’s work on LGBTI shows that the worrying rise in intolerance of...
European Court of Human Rights
Russia has an obligation to provide a legal framework to same-sex partners to have their relationships acknowledged and protected
In today’s judgment in the case of Fedotova and Others v. Russia, the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been a violation of Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The case concerned the refusal to...
The Congress of the Council of Europe adopts resolutions on the role of local and regional authorities in protecting LGBTI persons
Today, at its 40th Session, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted two resolutions to protect LGBTI persons. In the resolution and recommendation on the role of local and regional authoritiesProtection of LGBTI people in the context of rising anti-LGBTI...
Commissioner for Human Rights calls on Hungary’s Parliament to reject law banning discussion about sexual and gender identity and diversity
Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights called on all Hungarian Members of Parliament to reject the proposal to ban the "portrayal and the promotion of gender identity different from sex at birth, the change of sex and homosexuality" aimed at children. “I urge you to...
Council of Europe’s Opinion on the Draft Law on same-sex unions presented to the Serbian Authorities
Upon the request of the Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue of Serbia, Gordana Comic, the Council of Europe prepared a legal opinion on the Serbian draft Law on same-sex unions. The Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Tobias Flessenkemper, presented the...
ECHR finds Romania in violation of Human Rights, discriminating against applicants on grounds of their sexual orientation
In today’s judgment in the case of Accept and others v. Romania, the European Court of Human Rights found a violation of Article 14 regarding prohibition of discrimination in conjunction with the right to respect for private life and freedom of assembly. The case concerned a demonstration that...
