OHCHR / RUSSIA LGBTI LAW

STORY: OHCHR / RUSSIA LGBTI LAW
TRT: 01:33
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 28 OCTOBER 2022 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST:
1. Wide shot, exterior shot, Palais des Nations
2. Wide shot, press conference
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“Mr. Türk is deeply concerned about this latest development, which infringes even further on international human rights norms and standards.”
4. Wide shot, briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The proposals would expand an existing law from 2013, which been extensively examined and condemned by UN human rights experts as discriminatory, violating fundamental rights to freedom of expression, and leading to an increase in hate speech, hate crimes, and abuse, including against children,” she said.
6. Wide shot, briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The legislative amendments worsen this situation by broadening the scope of the law to a blanket ban on all communications on the subject, including to adults. The proposals also target the rights of transgender people,” the spokesperson said.
8. Wide shot, briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The High Commissioner appeals to legislators, who will consider the proposals in a further two readings, to reject this proposal, and to instead repeal the existing law and take urgent steps to prohibit and actively combat both discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Shamdasani said.
10. Close up, camera

STORYLINE:
UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, is calling on Russian legislators to repeal and not expand the anti-LGBTI bill.

At the bi-weekly press briefing today (28 Oct) in Geneva, Shamdasani made the following statement on Russia.

“Mr. Türk is deeply concerned about this latest development, which infringes even further on international human rights norms and standards,” Shamdasani said.

On Thursday (27 Oct), the Russian parliament – the State Duma – adopted proposals to broaden a ban on any discussion and sharing of information about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their human rights.

“The proposals would expand an existing law from 2013, which been extensively examined and condemned by UN human rights experts as discriminatory, violating fundamental rights to freedom of expression, and leading to an increase in hate speech, hate crimes, and abuse, including against children,” she said.

“The legislative amendments worsen this situation by broadening the scope of the law to a blanket ban on all communications on the subject, including to adults. The proposals also target the rights of transgender people,” the spokesperson said.

“The High Commissioner appeals to legislators, who will consider the proposals in a further two readings, to reject this proposal, and to instead repeal the existing law and take urgent steps to prohibit and actively combat both discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Shamdasani said.

Türk also notes that exclusion, stigmatization, and discrimination of any group within a society is corrosive, is a root cause of violence, and has a negative impact on society as a whole, she added.