Anti-discrimination law should be passed to protect homosexuals in Armenia-lawmaker

Arthur Makaryan, a lawyer the Yerevan-based NGO New Generation, said today that Armenia needs a special law banning discrimination to protect same sex couples from violence.

The lawyer noted that the effective legislation in the country does not offer specific guarantees to address the sexual minorities’ problems at a news conference on Wednesday.

“Although the law will not have an immediate effect on the society, it will establish obligations in the legal sector. Those people will have better justifications to turn to court,” he noted.

Elaborating on the incident, PINK Armenia Executive Director Mamikon Hovsepyan said that the LGBT members were severely beaten and sworn at by their assaulters and later mocked in hospital.

“The same day, we turned to the police where we met a relatively civilized treatment.

Later, however, the long-drawn out processes began; they are amid interrogating the witnesses now,” he said, attributing the incident to the society’s intolerance against same sex people.

Addressing the problem, President of New Generation Sergey Gabrielyan said he sees an increasing discrimination against the vulnerable groups, especially homosexuals, in the society.

“Although Armenia has ratified numerous international laws guaranteeing protection for the human being, there isn’t absolutely anything about same sex people. And this trend will continue as long as Armenia hasn’t adopted a law against discrimination.

Surprisingly, lawyers and psychologist who are called to protect the human being often express their discriminatory attitude in televised speeches,” he added.