In December 2018, OSCE Moscow Mechanism rapporteur’s independent report on the situation in Chechnya found ‘clear evidence of the successive purges against LGBTI persons’ in Chechnya as well as of numerous other grave Human Rights violations. The report documented that LGBTI persons in Chechnya had been subjected to systematic harassment, persecution, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings.

In the two years since the report was issued, there has been no constructive response to the Report or its recommendations from Russian federal authorities. Meanwhile, new credible allegations of serious human rights violations in Chechnya continue to emerge, including the continuing systematic arrest and torture of LGBTI persons and opponents of the Chechen leadership.

We call on the Russian Federation to implement the recommendations of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism rapporteur without further delay. In particular to launch an effective, impartial, and transparent inquiry into the systematic persecution of LGBTI persons in Chechnya and to end impunity for its perpetrators.

Equal Rights Coalition members who are co-signatories:

Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America.

Webinar held by the Donor Coordination Thematic Group of the ERC on March 18, 2021.

The undersigned members of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) call on all governments to limit the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on people identified based on real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics.

The current pandemic of the coronavirus (COVID-19) affects us across all regions and poses an unprecedented threat to public health, socio-economic conditions and the livelihoods of many people. Although the virus may seem to strike indiscriminately, its spread and consequences along with measures taken to combat the pandemic affect specific groups differently depending on existing inequalities and exclusion mechanisms in societies and power structures, leaving the most marginalized even more vulnerable. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons are amongst the most marginalized and excluded because of historic and ongoing stigma, discrimination, criminalization and violence against them, and they are and will continue to be among those most at risk during this crisis.

LGBTI persons often experience discrimination and stigmatisation in health care systems. As a result, they might decide to delay seeking medical care and live in a state of compromised health. Discrimination can affect access to medication, hormonal treatment and gender affirming care as well as care for other pre-existing chronic illnesses, potentially making LGBTI persons particularly at risk of enduring serious health complications or facing death because of COVID-19. Many LGBTI persons lack family or community support and face high levels of violence and poverty, and increased rates of homelessness and unemployment. The confinement measures can also lead to a rise of domestic violence motivated by sexual orientation and gender identity.

Government measures to combat the pandemic must be lawful, and should be proportionate, necessary, of a temporary nature and take into consideration the disproportionate impact on specific populations or marginalized groups. These measures should be in line with the 1984 Siracusa Principles on the conditions that enable governments to restrict human rights during a public health emergency. This crisis should not be a justification to impose new constraints on or to scapegoat LGBTI persons.

The undersigned members of the ERC call on all governments to ensure that their measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic consider the specific impact on LGBTI persons. The members also call on all governments to ensure that all policies related to the pandemic, including access to health care, information, housing, and financial and economic support, take into account LGBTI persons’ needs in a proactive and non-discriminatory way, in line with the statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The members further call on donor governments to ensure humanitarian relief efforts and funds include a response to the specific needs of marginalized communities, such as LGBTI persons, by involving community-based organisations in their response and implementation.

Co-signatories:

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Uruguay

This report was generated by the Equal Rights Coalition Civil Society Working Group on COVID-19, to provide an overview of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is currently having and risks having in the future on LGBTI populations.

To access the document, kindly click here.

Webinar held by the Donor Coordination Thematic Group of the ERC on June 6th, 2019.

The undersigned members of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) express profound dismay at the decision of Brunei to fully implement its revised Penal Code. As part of the full implementation which became effective on April 3, 2019, provisions have been introduced prescribing a range of penalties including amputation of limbs, whipping and stoning to death for specific acts identified as offences in the Code. The acts that are punishable by means of these penalties include robbery, rape, adultery and engaging in same-sex sexual conduct.

These extreme penalties raise serious concerns in light of Brunei’s international human rights obligations and commitments, including those relating to the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the right to equal protection of the law without discrimination. They also have a detrimental impact on a number of vulnerable groups in Brunei, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons, women and children. The new provisions exacerbate the marginalization of persons belonging to these groups and increase the risk that they will be exposed to discrimination, persecution and violence, even if they are not prosecuted for having violated the Code.

The ERC affirms that all people are entitled to respect for their human rights, without distinction. We urge the government of Brunei to repeal the new penalties, and to ensure that any measures that are introduced are consistent with Brunei’s international human rights obligations and commitments.

Co-signatories:

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New-Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay

The undersigned members of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) express their deep concern about recent reports concerning a renewed wave of persecution of LGBTI persons in Chechnya. These reports indicate that in recent weeks, at least 40 LGBTI individuals have been detained. It has also been reported that two individuals have died as a result of torture.

Over the past two years, persecution of the LGBTI community in Chechnya has repeatedly surfaced as an issue of significant international concern. In 2017, ERC members called on Russian federal authorities to act urgently to investigate and address alleged targeting of the Chechen LGBTI community in the face of reports of arbitrary detention, torture and killing of gay men. The report of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism Rapporteur on alleged human rights violations and impunity in the Chechen Republic, released late last year, confirmed allegations of extensive human rights abuses occurring there since January 2017, including successive purges against LGBTI persons.

Today, we again call on the Russian authorities to take urgent action in response to this latest wave of reported violations of the human rights of LGBTI persons in Chechnya. All persons who have been detained based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and who currently remain in custody should be released immediately. There should also be a swift, thorough and impartial investigation into the alleged persecution, arrests and torture of LGBTI persons and any deaths that have resulted. Those who have directed and carried out these acts must be held responsible.

We will continue to call on the Russian government to ensure that LGBTI individuals in Chechnya are treated as equal members of society and benefit from equal protection of the law, in accordance with Russia’s constitutional guarantees and its international human rights obligations.

Co-signatories:

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cabo Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay

This document was produced in 2018 by the then ERC CSO Co-Chairs, in collaboration with the Core Group, to put some of the ERC structures and processes in writing.

To access the document, kindly click here.

The undersigned members of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) welcome the unanimous ruling of the Supreme Court of India on 6 September 2018 decriminalizing consensual same-sex relations between adults in India. This decision is an historic step for the advancement of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons in India. In declaring the ban on same-sex conduct under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code to be unconstitutional, the Indian Supreme Court has taken a positive step in recognizing the rights of LGBT persons under the Indian Constitution, including the right to equality before the law.

We welcome this important contribution of the Court towards the objective of ensuring that LGBT persons in India, a country with one of the world’s largest national populations, are treated as full and equal members of society. We also recognize and applaud the work of LGBT civil society advocates in India, whose efforts have been instrumental in bringing about this ruling after a long and difficult struggle.

ERC members remain concerned that more than 70 countries maintain discriminatory laws that criminalize consensual same-sex relations between adults. Decriminalization is an essential step to uphold dignity for all and reduce violence and discrimination targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons. We hope that the example set by the Indian Supreme Court will be followed in other countries, and we encourage governments that have not yet pursued decriminalization of same-sex conduct to undertake legal reforms. As we affirmed at the 2018 ERC Global Conference on LGBTI Human Rights and Inclusive Development, ERC members are committed to sharing best practices among governments and civil society organizations to promote the universal decriminalization of LGBTI status or conduct.

Co-signatories:

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New-Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay

Report of the Side Event to the Conference “Leave No One Behind: the Equal Rights Coalition Global Conference on LGBTI Human Rights”.

The side event was organized into four moderated panel discussions, each followed by an opportunity for other participants to contribute to the discussion. This report is intended to highlight key refections that were shared during each panel; provide a list of recommendations offered by panellists and participants; and pose a number of outstanding questions for further exploration by the working group. While a variety of challenges and successes were shared and discussed, key themes of the side-event included:

• The need to better understand and map the various mechanisms through which funding can be channelled to the grassroots – including various government funding mechanisms and funding intermediaries.
• The need to balance funding for dedicated LGBTIQ work with an approach of mainstreaming LGBTIQ issues into broader funding programs.
• The need to leverage the working group in documenting best practices in funding LGBTIQ human rights programming to both inform current donors and to engage new donors.

To access the report, kindly click here.