From: David Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 23:38:35 +0100 Subject: [or-world] Fwd: [E-Q] ILGA-EUROPE: CALL FOR URGENT ACTION! - Council of Europe - lobbying campaign re Recommendations on lesbian and gay rights >From: Nigel Warner >Subject: [E-Q] ILGA-EUROPE: CALL FOR URGENT ACTION! - Council of Europe - >lobbying campaign re Recommendations on lesbian and gay rights >Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 20:53:18 +0100 > >PLEASE POST THIS MESSAGE TO YOUR LOCAL ACTIVIST E-MAIL LISTS! > >Dear friends, > >COUNCIL OF EUROPE - LOBBYING CAMPAIGN FOR THE END JUNE DEBATES IN THE >PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY ON LESBIAN AND GAY ISSUES. > >[For background information on the Council of Europe, please see the end of >this message] > >PLEASE ACT IMMEDIATELY! URGENT LOBBYING NEEDED TO ENSURE SUCCESS OF IMPORTANT >VOTES AT COUNCIL OF EUROPE > >1. On Friday 30th June the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe >will >debate two historic recommendations: > >The first, entitled "SITUATION OF LESBIANS AND GAYS IN COUNCIL OF EUROPE >MEMBER >STATES " [or >http://stars.coe.fr/doc/doc00/fdoc8755.htm for the French version] calls on >member states to take a number of positive actions, including: > >i. making sexual orientation a prohibited ground for discrimination, >ii. revoking all laws making homosexual acts between consenting adults liable >to criminal prosecution, >iii. equalising age of consent laws, >iv. ensuring equal treatment in employment, >v. adopting legislation which provides for registered partnership. > >It also calls for sexual orientation to be added to the grounds for >discrimination prohibited by the European Convention on Human Rights. > >These recommendations are preceded by a hard-hitting preamble which >includes an >attack on certain "politicians and religious leaders" who use homophobia "to >justify the continued existence of discriminatory laws and, above all, >aggressive or contemptuous attitudes." > >The second recommendation, entitled "SITUATION OF GAYS AND LESBIANS AND THEIR >PARTNERS IN RESPECT OF ASYLUM AND IMMIGRATION IN THE MEMBER STATES OF THE >COUNCIL OF EUROPE " [or >http://stars.coe.int/doc/doc00/fdoc8654.htm for the French version] calls on >member states to take a number of positive actions, including: >i. Re-examining their asylum policies with a view to recognising as refugees >homosexuals persecuted on the basis of their sexual orientation, >ii. Ensuring that bi-national lesbian and gay couples are accorded the same >residence rights as bi-national heterosexual couples. > >The full text of the Recommendations, and of the accompanying Explanatory >Memoranda, can be found at the Council of Europe's website - click on the >above >links to see them. > > >2. THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, IF SUCCESSFUL, WILL BE THE MOST IMPORTANT STATEMENT >ON LGB RIGHTS BY THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS. It may >well be >a similar period of time before the Assembly returns to this subject in this >detail. IT IS THEREFORE ESSENTIAL THAT EVERY EFFORT IS MADE TO ENSURE THAT >THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE APPROVED AND NOT DILUTED BY HOSTILE AMENDMENTS. > >If successful, these Recommendations will represent a very important >declaration by delegations from the parliaments of the 41 member states of >the >Council of Europe, and are likely to influence the governments of member >states. > >3. A Recommendation of the Parliamentary Assembly requires a majority of >66% to >be successful. We know this will be difficult to achieve. The opponents of >lesbian, gay and bisexual rights at the Assembly are determined and >well-organised. It is therefore essential that we persuade >parliamentarians who >support us to be present for the debate. This is all the more important, >since >the debate is scheduled to take place on the Friday, when many >parliamentarians >will already be returning from Strasbourg to their homes. > >SO PLEASE WRITE A SHORT LETTER TO SUPPORTIVE MEMBERS OF YOUR NATIONAL >DELEGATION IMMEDIATELY. The names and addresses of the members of your >national >delegation can be found at the ILGA World website - click here >Europe/council_of_europe_.htm> > >If you do not have information on which parliamentarians are supportive, we >recommend that you contact only parliamentarians from left of centre and >centre >parties (these are shown separately in the list at the ILGA World >website). We >recommend that you do not contact right of centre politicians, unless you >know >them to be supportive -- contacting those who are hostile could well be >counter-productive. > >4. When you write to the supportive members of your national delegation, we >suggest you make some of the following points: > >a. Discrimination, and sometimes even violence, remain serious problems for >lesbians and gays, as is made clear in the Explanatory Memoranda which >accompany the two draft Recommendations. >b. The failure by so many countries to give legal recognition to same-sex >partnerships is a serious form of discrimination which can cause considerable >hardship for many couples. >c. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that discrimination based on >sexual orientation is a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. > >Stress that the Recommendations, if passed, will be of historic importance >for >Europe's lesbian, gay and bisexual communities, and present a rare >opportunity >for parliamentarians to demonstrate their support for the fundamental >rights of >our community. > >Ask them to support the draft Recommendations, and to oppose any attempt to >weaken them. > >Point out that the debates will take place on Friday 30th June, and ask that >they specifically arrange to remain in Strasbourg that day. > >PLEASE ACT NOW! THE SOONER YOU WRITE, THE BETTER THE CHANCE THAT MEMBERS OF >YOUR COUNTRY'S DELEGATION WILL ARRANGE TO REMAIN IN STRASBOURG ON THE DAY OF >THE DEBATE. Letters after approximately the 20th June will be too late. > > > >Note on the background and history of the Council of Europe > >The Council of Europe is Europe's main intergovernmental human rights >organisation. With some 41 member states, covering nearly 800 million people, >it has a most important role in promoting human rights. > >The Council of Europe was founded in the aftermath of the second world war, >with the purpose of promoting respect for human rights in Europe, in the hope >of preventing any repetition of the atrocities of that time. > >The Council of Europe has three main elements: > >The Committee of Ministers: this consists of the Foreign Ministers of the 41 >member states, and is the executive of the Council of Europe. It can make >Recommendations to the member states, although these recommendations are not >binding. > >The Parliamentary Assembly: this consists of delegates from the national >parliaments of the member states. There are approximately 300 >Representatives, >each of whom has a deputy. The sizew if delegations from individual countries >depends on the population of those countries: the largest countries have >eighteen representatives. The Parliamentary Assembly can make Recommendations >to the Committee of Ministers. If the Committee of Ministers does not >support >such a Recommendation, then it is merely passed to the governments of member >states for information. Nonetheless, such Recommendations are of considerable >symbolic importance. > >The European Court of Human Rights: this consists of one judge from each >of the >41 member states. It rules on whether individual member states have violated >the European Convention on Human Rights. Its judgements are binding on the >member states. > >NB: The Council of Europe is not the same as the European Union! 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