President Edgars Rinkēvičs will evaluate the Saeima’s decision to withdraw from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention.
As the President’s communications advisor, Mārtiņš Drēģeris, informed LETA, in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia, the President will carefully assess the law adopted by the Saeima on withdrawal from the Convention, taking into account state and legal considerations rather than ideological or political ones.
The President will announce his decision separately.
As reported, on Thursday the Saeima adopted a law, with votes from the opposition and the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS), to withdraw from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, the so-called Istanbul Convention.
The Marta Centre and several other NGOs have sent a letter to President Edgars Rinkēvičs
urging him to return the law on withdrawal from the Convention to the Saeima for a second review.
The organizations consider the Convention to be one of the most important international human rights instruments protecting women, children, and people at risk of violence, as it obliges the state not only to punish perpetrators but also to develop preventive mechanisms, educate society, provide assistance to victims, and strengthen the capacity of law-enforcement institutions to prevent violence.
The organizations also note that the bill was handled in a hasty manner and that there was no full-fledged discussion with the public, experts, and stakeholders during the process. The Foreign Affairs Committee meetings did not provide an opportunity for responsible ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to express their views on the proposal.
The authors of the letter emphasize that a disinformation campaign can be observed in the public space concerning the compliance of certain anti-violence provisions of the Convention with the Constitution and other laws.
Given that
the anti-violence Convention has been ratified by 39 Council of Europe member states,
we believe that Latvia’s withdrawal would significantly damage our country’s international reputation, jeopardizing Latvia’s image as a European, law-abiding state that supports human rights and gender equality, the letter states.
The letter has been signed by more than 2,000 people, including the first chairman of the Latvian Popular Front, Dainis Īvāns; civil society activist and former MP of the Supreme Council Velta Čebotarenoka; actors Vilis Daudziņš, Zane Daudziņa, Ilze Ķuzule-Skrastiņa, Kaspars Gods, Inga Ungure; directors Matīss Kaža, Uģis Olte, Elmārs Seņkovs; musicians Ralfs Eilands, Aija Andrejeva, Jēkabs Nīmanis, Marta Grigale; writers Inese Zandere, Ieva Melgalve, Inga Gaile; and others.
Following the Saeima’s majority decision, the international human rights organization Amnesty International also issued a statement. The organization’s senior women’s rights expert, Monica Costa Riba, stated that “Latvia’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention would be a devastating blow to the protection and rights of women and girls in the country, as well as of all those who experience domestic violence, sending a dangerous message to abusers that they can exploit and kill women and girls with impunity.”
The bill 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), United List (AS), and For Stability!—as well as ZZS politicians in the ruling coalition. The coalition parties New Unity (JV) and The Progressives did not support withdrawal from the Convention.
Fifty-six deputies voted in favor of withdrawal, 32 MPs from JV and The Progressives were against, and two deputies—Igors Rajevs and Didzis Šmits—abstained. The debate on the bill lasted for more than 13 hours.
The withdrawal law was adopted under an expedited procedure; however, it was not passed by a two-thirds majority, which gives the President the option not to promulgate it and to return it to the parliament for reconsideration. Opponents of the decision have also raised other possible ways to halt or delay the law’s entry into force—appealing to the Constitutional Court or calling on the President to suspend promulgation to allow time to collect signatures to initiate a referendum.
President Edgars Rinkēvičs has so far spoken very cautiously about denouncing the Convention,
not expressing support for either position. According to the President, he is seeking to maintain neutrality so as not to become a participant in the pre-election struggle. Rinkēvičs has acknowledged that, after the Saeima’s decision, the question of withdrawal from the Convention will land on “his desk,” at which point he will comprehensively evaluate it and make a decision.
In Latvia, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence—the so-called Istanbul Convention—entered into force on May 1 of last year. It is an international treaty that requires member states to develop coordinated policies to better protect women from all forms of violence, as well as women and men from domestic violence. Among other things, member states must ensure comprehensive assistance and protection for victims, crisis centers, a 24/7 helpline, specialized support centers for survivors of sexual violence, and must protect and support children who witness violence.
Read also: Saeima decides – Latvia must withdraw from the Istanbul Convention