Hello again from Bucharest.
Today I would like to tell you something about the situation in Latvia. It's a country of the European Union which become a full member in 2004. Do you know Latvia? Or have you heard from Riga? It's the capital of Latvia. But now let me tell you...
Like Estonia, Latvia’s turbulent 20th century history bears testimony to violent broadsiding from both the West and East, with five decades of repressive Soviet occupation after the end of World War II. While Latvia has wobbled into democracy since the collapse of the Eastern Empire in 1989, the human rights record of the Eastern European country continues to be marred.
Despite recent accession to the European Union, the Latvian government is still successfully raising the ire of domestic and international human rights organizations due to its socially discriminatory policies, one of which flies in the face of standards required for EU membership.
Indeed, while Latvia promised to implement legislation prohibiting discrimination in the workplace, members of parliament stalled the proceedings in 2006 over the question of homosexuality in the workplace, inviting possible legal action from the EU. Members of parliament called homosexuals “degenerate.” In addition, Latvia has constitutionally prohibited same sex marriage, and banned a gay rights parade in Riga in 2006.
The large ethnic Russian minority (close to half the population of Riga) has also complained of the prohibitive difficulty of language exams required for citizenship, a strong indicator of official discrimination towards minorities on Latvian soil.
Some sources:
What do you think about the descriptions and explanations? Especially regarding homosexuality in Latvia? How does it feel for you? What's your point of view regarding homosexuality?
I hope to get many answers.
Best wishes and have a wonderful weekend.
Svetlana
