The German government plans to name Georgia and Moldova as safe countries of origin, the opposition parties CDU/CSU and AFD also want to include Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in that list. On 6 November, 27 civil society organisations from Germany, Europe and around the world supported an open letter led by the Lesbian and Gay Association (LSVD) calling on the German federal government to recognise the fact that for LGBTI people these are often not safe countries, and thus all claims need to be assessed individually to do justice to the international right to protection. (Photo: LSVD/ Kerstin Thost)

On 8 November, Uzbekistan’s human rights record was examined by the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the fourth time. 13 countries submitted recommendations on decriminalising consensual same-sex conduct between men. Representatives from at least a dozen countries also recommended developing legislation that would protect against all forms of discrimination, including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Interior Deputy Minister of Uzbekistan Yakhhodzhon Abdulkhakov responded “In 2023, a total of 22 criminal cases were initiated under Article 120 of the Criminal Code for sodomy” admitting the continuing enforcement of the criminalisation.

On 8 November, the European Commission adopted its Enlargement Package, providing an assessment of the progress made by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. On 14 November, alongside five other international human rights organisations, ILGA-Europe demanded that the EU take specific steps to ensure respect for the human rights of LGBTI people in Turkey in future EU-Turkey relations.

On 9 November, the Latvian parliament voted to adopt a new legislation on registered partnership for all couples. The law finally grants legal recognition of same-sex couples. The couples can register their partnerships by contacting a notary. Changes in the laws provide that the partnership can be concluded from 1 July of the next year.

On 20 November, Trans Day of Remembrance, trans and allied organisations released a joint statement with clear demands for policymakers and donors to turn the tide against anti-trans violence and hatred. According to the latest Transgender Europe’s report, in the last 12 months, 321 trans and gender-diverse people were reported murdered globally.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) are working to better understand HIV knowledge and attitudes in healthcare settings. A survey is being conducted to measure knowledge and attitudes towards HIV in the healthcare setting in Europe or Central Asia. The survey is available in 38 languages.

On 30 November, Russia’s Supreme Court banned what it called the “international LGBT public movement” as extremist. The LGBTI movement’s activities within Russia were said to “incite social and religious discord” in violation of the country’s anti-extremism laws. This violently disproportionate decision, which has been classified as a state secret and is therefore not open to scrutiny, makes imprisonment a very real scenario for participating in activism, sharing information about LGBTI people’s human rights, or simply speaking up. (Photo: InkBoB, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

TGEU, RFSL, GATE, APTN, EATHAN, and ILGA World are organising the 8th UN Trans Advocacy Week, which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, during the 56th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council in June/July 2024. The call is aimed at trans and gender-diverse human rights defenders with an interest in enhancing their understanding of international advocacy mechanisms and identifying ways to strengthen their local advocacy through engaging and interacting with relevant UN bodies and mechanisms.
Read more and apply before 10 December.