Friday 25 December 2009

Armenian groups condemn violence against gays in Georgia and call for immediate release of detained Georgian gay rights activist Paata Sabelashvilli

The Armenian Gay and Lesbian Association of New York (AGLA NY) is very troubled by the news that Georgian Police have attacked the office of the Georgian LGBT group Inclusive Foundation and arrested the head of the organization, Paata Sabelashvilli.

Dedicated to establishing a democratic Georgia, “where sexual orientation and gender self-expression would not be the ground for discrimination,” the Inclusive Foundation is an important voice in the Caucasus, which is still plagued by homophobic public policies and severe brutality against LGBT people in general.

In a statement issued today, ILGA-Europe said it was “shocked” by the conduct of the Georgian police, “which had clearly homophobic motives.” The group called for the immediate release of Mr. Sabelashvili. AGLA NY joins its voice in the international call for the release of the LGBT leader. [...]

/emphasis mine/
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In a separate post, Queering Yerevan expressed solidarity with the Inclusive Foundation: "We condemn violence against queers in Georgia"
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PINK Armenia posts appeal by the Georgian LGBT group Inclusive Foundation and keeps informed its readers on the latest troubling developments in Tbilisi. (here and here)

2 comments:

artmika said...

Great news: Head of Georgian LGBT group Inclusive Foundation Paata Sabelashvilli has been released today, without any further charges, as per ILGA-Europe.

artmika said...

First case from Georgia to the European Court of Human Rights concerning police homophobia