NSS calls on President of Lithuania to veto homophobic law passed on June 16 and to make a stand for Human Rights.

The NSS has written to the President of Lithuania asking him to veto the homophobic law passed on June 16 and to make a stand for Human Rights.

NSS representatives plan to discuss this law with the President of the European Commission at a meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels on Friday 26 June.

Letter to the President of Lithuania:

Dear Mr President,

I write on behalf of the National Secular Society, Britain’s leading campaigning organisation representing the non-religious, fighting for Human Rights, freedom of expression and equality for all.

We appeal to you to veto the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information.

The law passed by the Seimas on 16 June will institutionalize homophobia and violate the right to freedom of expression and the right to be free from discrimination. It also contradicts the joint statement that Lithuania signed at the UN General Assembly in December 2008, which reaffirmed that human rights apply equally to every human being regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

We understand your country is now the only nation in the EU which has such discriminatory and stigmatising legislation on homosexuals. To limit freedom of expression simply to appease homophobia is a clear breach of the EU’s fundamental rights and principles, and it is for this reason we call on you to exercise your veto.

While we accept that exercising your veto will require courage, it would be regarded among many in Europe as a principled stand for human rights, understanding and tolerance. You would leave a lasting legacy for Lithuania, one that asserts that that everyone deserves the same dignity.

Yours sincerely

Keith Porteous Wood

Executive Director, National Secular Society