ILGA-Europe welcomes judgement of European Court of Human Rights in case of banned pride march

The Court decided that by not allowing the Pride march the Polish state has breached three articles of the European Convention on Human Rights:

• Article 11 (freedom of association and assembly)
• Article 13 (right to an effective remedy)
• Article 14(prohibition of discrimination).

ILGA-Europe welcomes this decision of the European Court of Human Rights. This is the fist case of a banned LGBT Pride march being challenged in Strasbourg.

Patricia Prendiville, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe, said:

“We are pleased that the Court firmly and unanimously confirmed that the freedom of assembly and expression belongs to all. There is a significant case-law already established by the Court in regards to freedom of assembly and now we know that the same principles are equally applicable to LGBT citizens.

We hope that this decision of the European Court of Human Rights will put a final stop to the outrageous violations of the right to peaceful demonstration by LGBT people which we witnessed during the last few years in some European cities.

We hope that this decision will be yet another argument supporting European Mayors to sign ILGA-Europe’s appeal on freedom of assembly and expression for LGBT people and thus wipe out yet another ugly expression of homophobia from Europe.”

For more information please contact
Juris Lavrikovs at + 32 2 609 54 16 / + 32 496 708 375

Notes for editors:

(1) ILGA-Europe is the European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association and works for equality and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Europe.

(2) Decision of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Bączkowski and Others v. Poland is available on our website: www.ilga-europe.org

(3) Details of ILGA-Europe’s campaign on freedom of assembly and expression for LGBT people in Europe: www.ilga-europe.org/europe/campaigns_projects/freedom_of_assembly_and_ex...