The Speakers of the Nordic parliaments have expressed concern about Latvia’s possible withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, according to a letter sent to the Speaker of the Saeima, Daiga Mieriņa (ZZS).
The Nordic parliamentary speakers, who gathered on Tuesday at the Nordic Council session, refrained from commenting on Latvia’s domestic politics. However, they stressed that Latvia’s withdrawal from the Convention — a comprehensive legal framework to prevent violence against women and within families — would send an unfavourable signal.
The letter to the Speaker of the Saeima was signed, among others, by the Speaker of the Swedish Riksdag, Andreas Norlén, the Speaker of the Danish Folketing, Søren Gade, and the Speaker of the Finnish Eduskunta, Jussi Halla-aho.
As reported, on the 23rd of October, the Saeima, with votes from the opposition and the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS), supported at its first reading a draft law providing for Latvia’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention.
The draft was submitted by the opposition party Latvia First (LPV) and is supported by other opposition parties
— the National Alliance, the United List, and For Stability!, as well as ZZS politicians from the ruling coalition. The coalition parties New Unity and The Progressives do not support withdrawal.
At the first reading, 52 MPs voted in favour of withdrawal, none voted against, MP Didzis Šmits abstained, while MPs from New Unity and The Progressives chose not to participate in the vote.
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 1 May of last year. It is an international treaty requiring member states to develop a coordinated policy to better protect women from all forms of violence, as well as both women and men from domestic violence. Member states must ensure comprehensive support and protection for victims, including crisis centres, 24/7 helplines, specialised support services for victims of sexual violence, and protection and assistance for children who witness violence.
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