Armenia failed to protect LGBT persons from discrimination. annual report
Today, on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, we publish “The Human Rights Situation of LGBT People in Armenia During 2022” annual report.
In 2022, Armenia did not witness any decline in discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. The cases described in this report are only a fraction of the public attitude towards LGBT persons. Survivors of discrimination often do not turn to human rights organizations and often do not even identify their treatment as discriminatory.
The first part of the report summarizes human rights violations reported by the beneficiaries of Pink in relation to their sexual orientation or gender identity. These are cases when the hatred driving the perpetrators can be tracked by visible indicators such as the phrases used by them, location of the offence, expressed identity of the victims and other factors.
These concerns are, indeed, valid: LGBT persons are discriminated against by police officers, their personal data are disclosed to co-workers at the police, as well as to the family members of those that seek protection. The human rights violations described in this report also include cases when law enforcement bodies simply exceeded their powers. The majority of complaints on acts that were committed in conjunction with discrimination are not further processed as the criminal investigations are often dismissed (closed) or officers unduly procrastinate the process of investigation.
The cases documented by Pink show that the Republic of Armenia has failed its obligation to protect LGBT persons from discrimination. Human rights of LGBT people were violated both by state bodies and individuals with no redress available and offered due to legislative gaps and the bias of law enforcement bodies.
