CoE Human Rights Commissioner: I’m standing with Tbilisi Pride

Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, on Sunday expressed her solidarity with the Georgian LGBTI community during the Tbilisi Pride week that kicked off on July 1. 

In her social media post, the CoE official said “in challenging times, we must continue to be vocal until LGBTI people can fully enjoy their human rights, freedom of assembly”.

Tbilisi Pride organisers have announced no march will take place this year, which generally end up with tensions with domestic far-right groups in the country. 

This year’s events comes amid sharp statements of domestic officials against “LGBT propaganda”, with prime minister Irakli Garibashvili condemning such “propaganda” in schools and kindergartens of foreign states and also slamming the Georgian branch of McDonald’s for the release of brochures on a well-known British singer Elton John, that included information on his sexual orientation, family and adopted children.