Zurich (Switzerland): Homophobic preacher found guilty — LGBTI Recht in der Schweiz – Droit LGBTI en Suisse – by Professor Andreas R Ziegler

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Zürich: Homophober Prediger schuldig gesprochen Auf der noblen Zürcher Einkaufsstraße hetzte ein 63-jähriger Fundamentalist gegen Homosexuelle, bis Passant*innen die Polizei alarmierten. Read: https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=42772&pk_campaign=Nwsl

Zurich (Switzerland): Homophobic preacher found guilty — LGBTI Recht in der Schweiz – Droit LGBTI en Suisse – by Professor Andreas R Ziegler

Council of Europe proposes a comprehensive legal and policy framework to combat hate speech

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Council of Europe proposes a comprehensive legal and policy framework to combat hate speech

On 20 May, the Council of Europe issued a set of guidelines to its 46 member states aimed at preventing and combating hate speech, both online and offline. The guidelines recommend that member states differentiate between, firstly, the most serious cases of hate speech, which are to be prohibited by criminal law, secondly, hate speech subject to civil and administrative law and, finally, offensive or harmful types of expressions which are not sufficiently severe to be legitimately restricted under the European Convention on Human Rights but nevertheless call for alternative responses.

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ECtHR rules against Armenia’s inaction in anti-LGBTI hate crime case

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ECtHR rules against Armenia’s inaction in anti-LGBTI hate crime case

On 17 May, The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Armenian authorities failed to protect an LGBT bar owner and activist from homophobic physical and verbal attacks, and arson, and to carry out effective investigation. According to ILGA-Europe’s Head of Litigation, Arpi Avetisyan: “The judgment makes it clear that without legislation which explicitly covers bias-motivated crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity, such crimes will remain invisible and foster impunity”.

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High Court in Croatia paves the way for adoption by same-sex couples

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High Court in Croatia paves the way for adoption by same-sex couples

On 26 May, NGO Dugine Obitelji announced that the High Administrative Court of Croatia confirmed that same-sex couples can adopt children, indicating that parents cannot be discriminated against based on their sexual orientation. The Court decision rejects the appeal of the competent Ministry against the judgment of the Administrative Court in Zagreb from April 2021, which should have given a same-sex couple access to the adoption procedure.

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Bulgarian Court rules Baby Sara must be issued birth certificate

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Bulgarian Court rules Baby Sara must be issued birth certificate

On 16 May, a Bulgarian court has ordered city hall authorities in the capital city of Sofia to issue a birth certificate to the baby born to a same-sex couple from Bulgaria and Gibraltar, known as ‘Baby Sara’. The court’s decision follows a ruling last December by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), saying that if one EU member state recognises a parental relationship between a child and its parents, then all member states should, in order to give the child its right to freedom of movement.

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The ECtHR sets the basis for the qualification of intersex genital mutilation as torture

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The ECtHR sets the basis for the qualification of intersex genital mutilation as torture

On 19 May, the European Court of Human Rights communicated its decision on the case M c. France. While the Court rejected the application on procedural grounds, it paved the way for future positive decisions on the qualification of non-vital medical interventions performed on intersex persons without their personal prior free and fully informed consent as intersex genital mutilation (IGM) and therefore as a form of torture.


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The first judgement for discrimination against LGBTI persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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The first judgement for discrimination against LGBTI persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina

On 4 April, the Municipal Court in Sarajevo issued a first instance judgement in which discrimination against LGBTI persons was confirmed by a court for the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The judgement refers to a public statement made by a former member of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, on social media. ”From a legal standpoint, it is critical to develop case law and strengthen legal standards concerning discrimination and hate speech. The Sarajevo Open Centre (SOC) is handling multiple lawsuits before several courts in the country” says Darko Pandurević, Advocacy and Programme Manager at SOC.

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