Now the country is being condemned by the European Court of Justice
Russia refuses to recognize same-sex couples
The European Court of Human Rights has condemned Russia for discriminating against lesbian and gay couples. States must legally recognize same-sex couples in some way under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Published: 11 minutes ago
The European Court of Human Rights has condemned Russia for discriminating against lesbian and gay couples.
The Russian government does not recognize same-sex couples in any way. The European Court of Human Rights has now condemned Russia for discriminating against lesbian and gay couples.
According to the European Convention on Human Rights, states would have to legally recognize same-sex couples in some way. However, Russia refuses to do so, the highest instance of the court, the Grand Chamber, decided on Tuesday in Strasbourg.
Russian law defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman
The plaintiffs – three same-sex couples – wanted to get married in Russia, but the authorities refused the marriage because Russian law defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The government had argued that the majority of Russians rejected homosexuality. The Court did not agree: democracy does not mean that the views of the majority always prevail, but that a balance must be struck.
Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe a few months ago because of the war of aggression against Ukraine and is therefore no longer a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, which the Court ensures compliance with. The Council of Europe, the Convention on Human Rights and the Court of Justice are independent of the European Union.
Several thousand lawsuits against Russia are still pending at the Human Rights Court. They were all filed until Russia was formally excluded and must therefore be examined by the court. Under the Human Rights Convention, Russia remains contractually bound to implement the judgments of these remaining lawsuits. However, Russia has already announced that it will not recognize judgments of the Court of Human Rights. (SDA)