Latvia’s parliament on Thursday backed the decision to withdraw from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention, an international treaty aimed at protecting women from violence.
The debate in parliament lasted more than 12 hours. The initiative to denounce the convention was supported by representatives of opposition parties — United List, National Alliance, Stability, Latvia First and Union of Greens and Farmers.
According to the MPs who voted in favour of withdrawal, the provisions of the convention contradict traditional family values, as the document treats the concept of “gender” not as biological sex, but as a social category.
On the eve of the vote, diplomats from Germany, France, the United Kingdom and 12 other countries sent a letter to the Latvian parliament expressing concern about the possible decision to denounce the convention.
Now, within ten days, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs must decide whether to approve the law or return it for reconsideration.
The Istanbul Convention was signed in 2011 and entered into force in 2014. It obliges participating countries to take measures to prevent violence against women and combat domestic violence. To date, the document has been ratified by 39 European states and Georgia. Earlier, Turkey was the only country to withdraw from the agreement.
