Joint Statement of the Non-Governmental Organizations On the Homophobic Evaluations of the Minister – Davit Darakhvelide
We are concerned with the homophobic evaluations made by the Minister of the Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees, Davit Darakhvelidze, during the interview with the newspaper “Versia” on May 9.
The evaluations made by the Minister, calling the LGBT persons to be “sick” and have “sexual deviations” provokes hatred towards the LGBT community and does not correspond to the universally recognized medical and legal approaches towards the persons who have different sexual identity, which recognize the supreme value of each human being and are based on the universal principle of protection of their rights. The use of such a rhetoric by the high-level political official is unacceptable, because such messages promote the strengthening and legitimation of the intolerance towards the persons who have different gender identity, the violent and broad-scale reflection of which were the events that took place on May 17. The fact that the Minister degrades the process of protecting the rights of the LGBT persons by the civil society reflects improper understanding of the role of the civil society and the rights of the LGBT persons.
It is also important to be considered that this is not the first case, when, in his public speech, Davit Darakhvelidze discriminates against persons on the various grounds. During the 2012 parliamentary election campaign his racist remarks caused the civil society to address the candidate to the post of the Prime Minister, to re-examine the decision on nominating Davit Darakhvelide to the post of the Minister of the Refugees.
We address the current Prime Minister of Georgia to adequately respond to the mentioned statement, which contradicts the antidiscriminatory policy, declared by the government and the concept of protecting the fundamental human rights and freedoms. In this regard, it is also important for the Government to elaborate the long-term vision and implement proper activities to prevent its members from making hatred-motivated statements.
Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, GYLA
Media Development Foundation, MDF
Georgian Democracy Initiative, GDI
Tolerance and Diversity Institute, TDI
Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center, EMC
Georgia’s Reforms Associates, GRASS
Identoba
Saphari
Article 42 of the Constitution
European Centre for Minority Issues, ECMI
Transparency International – Georgia, TI
Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group
Association LGBT Georgia
Georgian Institute for Strategic Studies, GISS
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