- Update info:
- 20 Jun 2015 (Suspended)
- Latest info:
- 1 Jun 2015
- Country:
- UKRAINE
- Subject:
- N/A
Gender: both
- Period:
- 20 Jul 2015
- Distribution date:
- 1 Jun 2015
- UA No:
- 119/2015
Hundreds of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) activists are at risk of being denied their right to peaceful assembly and at risk of violence during the Pride march planned in Kyiv on 6 June as the police fail to show full commitment to protect the march.
The Kyiv Pride organizers have announced their intention to hold the Pride march in the capital Kyiv on 6 June. The exact time and place of the event have yet to be agreed with the authorities. In order to discuss the details the organizers, along with Amnesty International Ukraine, are having several meetings with the authorities. The Kyiv City Administration promised to arrange a meeting between the organizers and the police to discuss security measures in the week of 18-22 May. However, no meeting has taken place so far as the police claim that it is “too early” to plan for the event.
In 2012, the planned Kyiv Pride march had to be cancelled by the organizers in the face of threats of violence from far-right groups and the failure of the Kyiv police to guarantee adequate protection. The Kyiv Pride March was also cancelled in 2014, when the authorities had promised their support for the Pride march, including in meetings between Amnesty International and senior members of the Ministry of the Interior, but withdrew their promise of protection at the last moment.
Delayed response and a lack of clear commitment by the police are having a negative impact on the organization of the event and could lead to its cancellation amidst fear of violence by counter-demonstrators.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Ukraine has repeatedly failed to protect the rights to freedom of expression and peacefully assembly of LGBTI people in the past. In 2012 a Pride march planned for 20 May was cancelled by the organizers because they had received multiple violent threats from various individuals and groups, and because the Kyiv police failed to guarantee the safety of the demonstrators, telling them ‘people would get hurt’. The Kyiv Pride planned for 5 July 2014 was also cancelled after the police told the organizing committee, at short notice, that they could not secure the safety of participants in the face of expected counter-demonstrations. The newly elected Mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitchko, stated on 27 June 2014 that this was not the time for such ‘entertainment events’ in Ukraine.
In 2013, the first ever successful LGBTI Pride march in Ukraine took place. Although the fact that the first-ever Pride in Ukraine took place was a welcome development, it was disappointing that Kyiv City Council chose to ban the Pride march from the centre of Kyiv, forcing organizers to change to an alternative location at the last moment and thereby curtailing participants’ right to freedom of assembly.
LGBTI people in Ukraine continue to face discrimination, and many are targeted for violence and abuse. In the past Amnesty International has documented several violent attacks against LGBTI people, some carried out by public officials, and some by members of the public. In some cases such attacks have resulted in death and these were not effectively investigated. The authorities have consistently failed to investigate violence against LGBTI people promptly, thoroughly, effectively and impartially.
Name: N/A
Gender m/f: both
UA: 119/15 Index: EUR 50/1750/2015 Issue Date: 28 May 2015
- Update info:
- 20 Jun 2015 (Suspended)
- Latest info:
- 1 Jun 2015
- Country:
- UKRAINE
- Subject:
- Period:
- 20 Jul 2015
- Distribution date:
- 20 Jun 2015
- UA No:
- 119/2015
The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Pride march that took place in Kyiv on 6 June was marred by violence, as police failed to adequately protect the participants.
The Kyiv Pride march, attended by about 250 people including some French, American, Dutch and Swedish diplomats who joined in their personal capacities, on Saturday, 6 June was marred by homophobic violence. Despite there being about 1,500 police officers present during the Pride march, the lack of coordination with the event organizers, and the police’s failure to put an evacuation plan in place, resulted in attacks from counter-demonstrators. Ten protesters and five police officers were injured during the march. One police officer was left in critical condition.
Ahead of the event, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko publicly backed the activists’ constitutional right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and Kyiv City Council did not seek a ban on the event in court, as had been the case in the past. Amnesty International members penned about 20,000 signatures urging Ukraine authorities to protect the march.
Amnesty International issued a press release on the violence that occurred during the Kyiv Pride march https://www.amnesty.org/en/articles/news/2015/06/homophobic-violence-mars-gay-pride-rally-in-kyiv/
A detailed report on the march will be produced soon. A video of the event will also be available soon.
No further action is requested from the UA network. Many thanks to all who sent appeals.
This is the first update of UA 119/15. Further information: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur50/1750/2015/en/
Name: N/A
Further information on UA 119/15: Index: EUR 50/1810/2015 Issue Date: 10 June 2015
