More than 50,000 people have signed a ManaBalss.lv initiative addressed to President Edgars Rinkēvičs within just three days, calling on him not to sign the law on Latvia’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention.
According to the LETA news agency archives, this initiative is among those with the broadest public support in the platform’s history – and the pace of signatures this time is exceptionally high. The most signatures to date had been gathered for an initiative to abolish property tax on a single home, however, the signing speed was much slower.
Meanwhile, another initiative submitted to the Saeima calling on Parliament to continue participating in the Convention has already gathered more than 31,000 signatures.
In recent days, a petition launched back in 2016 against Latvia joining the Convention has resurfaced. Over nearly a decade, it has collected approximately 31,000 signatures in support.
The author of the initiative addressed to President Rinkēvičs is listed as Linda Auziņa.
She explains that the initiative’s representatives want the President to use the powers granted by Article 71 of the Constitution – to refuse to promulgate the law adopted by the Saeima on Latvia’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention and return it for reconsideration in Parliament or put it to a referendum.
In Auziņa’s view, this would ensure that such a matter — touching upon human rights and the country’s international reputation — is evaluated thoroughly, democratically and with respect for the values of the majority of society.
Auziņa states that such action would give the public the opportunity to express its will while maintaining trust in state authorities and Latvia’s international obligations. This would provide society with a sense of security that the Latvian state continues to protect human rights and dignity, she emphasises.
“The President’s decision will strengthen trust in democracy
and show that in Latvia, power belongs to the people – not to fear and populism. It will send a signal to Europe and the world that Latvia is a country with a backbone, able to stand up for its values,” Auziņa says.
As reported, on Thursday, with votes from the opposition and the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS), the Saeima adopted the law on Latvia’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention.
The draft law to withdraw from the Convention was submitted by the opposition party Latvia First (LPV) and was supported by other opposition parties – the National Alliance (NA), the United List (AS) and For Stability!, as well as ZZS, which is part of the ruling coalition. The governing coalition parties New Unity (JV) and The Progressives did not support the withdrawal.
The law was adopted under an accelerated procedure, but not with the required two-thirds majority,
which gives the President the option to refuse promulgation and return it to Parliament for reconsideration. Opponents of the decision have also suggested other possible ways of preventing or delaying its entry into force — including applying to the Constitutional Court or calling on the President to suspend the promulgation to allow time to collect signatures for initiating a referendum.
Most experts and NGOs working in the field of violence prevention oppose the withdrawal, expressing concerns that it will weaken protection for victims of violence and negatively impact Latvia’s international reputation among Western allies.
The Women’s Rights Advocacy Organisation MARTA Centre and several other NGOs have sent a letter to the President, urging him to return the withdrawal law to the Saeima for reconsideration. More than 2,000 people have signed the letter.
The JV parliamentary faction has also approached the President with the same request.
Meanwhile, President Rinkēvičs has stated that he will carefully assess the law adopted by the Saeima on withdrawing from the Convention, “taking into account state and legal considerations, rather than ideological or political ones.”
Following the Saeima’s vote, the international human rights organisation Amnesty International released a statement. Monika Costa Riba, the organisation’s Senior Women’s Rights Advocate, stated that “Latvia’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention would be a devastating blow to the protection and rights of women and girls, as well as all people facing domestic violence. It sends perpetrators a dangerous message that they can abuse and kill women and girls with impunity.”
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Theodoros Roussopoulos, also stated on Friday that the decision of the Latvian Parliament is a dangerous signal.
In Latvia, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence — also known as the Istanbul Convention — entered into force on 1 May last year. It is an international treaty requiring member states to develop coordinated policies to better protect women from all forms of violence, as well as both women and men from domestic violence. Among other measures, signatory states must ensure comprehensive support and protection for victims, crisis centres, a 24/7 helpline, specialised support centres for sexual violence survivors, and protection and assistance for children who witness violence.
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