The Latvian parliament on 30 October supported a bill on the country’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention on the Protection of Women against Violence. “In favour” voted 56 deputies, against were 32 deputies, two abstained.
Among those who voted against were deputies from two parties that are part of the power coalition, writes Delfi. Now Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics within 10 days must either sign the bill or return it to the Saeima for consideration.
Before the consideration of the document, a protest rally was held in the capital Riga, which, according to police estimates, was attended by several thousand people.
Latvia’s Welfare Minister Reinis Uzulnieks, who supports withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, said that it splits society and that it is possible to fight family violence without international treaties. Opponents of the country’s withdrawal from the convention said that such a move could limit human rights and negatively affect Latvia’s international image.
Latvia is the first EU country to launch the process of withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia and Hungary have not ratified the document. Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention in 2021.
The Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Women was adopted in Istanbul in 2011 and was the first European agreement to combat domestic violence. It has been signed by more than 40 states, but not all have ratified it.
Ukraine signed the Istanbul Convention back in 2011, but has not ratified it for more than 10 years. The Verkhovna Rada ratified the Istanbul Convention on 20 June 2022. In all former members of the Ukrainian parliament from this review, conservative and false views on the content of this convention prevailed.