Parliament Speaker: Venice Commission opinion on bill on “protection of family values, minors” “not aligned with aspirations of Georgian public”

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said the opinion of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe on the constitutional amendments to the domestic bill on “protection of family values and minors” was “not aligned with aspirations of the Georgian public”.

Papuashvili’s comments followed after the Commission on Tuesday urged the Georgian authorities to not proceed with the amendments submitted this month to the country’s Parliament.

While the Georgian public wants marriage or similar relationships to be allowed only between a man and a woman, the Venice Commission recommends allowing same-sex marriage or legal recognition of similar unions”, the lawmaker claimed.

“It is regrettable that we see certain assessments that are not aligned with aspirations of the Georgian public. There are opposite recommendations, which involve not only encouraging [LGBT] propaganda, but also legalisation of issues that were discussed to be restricted”, he added.

In its opinion, the Commission urged the national authorities to reconsider the legislative proposal “entirely”, while also recommending a set of changes to its terminology if the draft were to be maintained.

It added some of the amendments were contrary to European and international standards, considering judicial practice of the European Court of Human Rights and the Commission’s previous opinions, and added even the “mere proposal of adopting this text risks to further fuel a hostile and stigmatising atmosphere against LGBTI people in Georgia”.