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GREENS URGE SUPPORT FOR CAMPAIGN TO DECRIMINALISE HOMOSEXUALITY |
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29th November 2006
 Stroud
District Green party have signed a global petition organised by the
Committee of the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) for a
proposed United Nations resolution in favour of the universal
decriminalisation of homosexuality - and are urging others to join them.
Photo right: Gloucester's first Gay Pride march
Cllr Philip Booth, a Stroud District councillor and spokesperson for the local Green party, who joined Gloucester's first ever Gay Pride march
in August this year, said: "There is sadly still discrimination in
Gloucestershire, but in more than 70 countries, homosexuality is a
crime by law, and punishable by death in 12 of them. This
petition and campaign has support from thousands including David Bowie,
Desmond Tutu, Elton John, Michael Palin, Tom Stoppard, Martin Amis and
Ian McEwan. The Green Party of England and Wales has been the first
political party to support the campaign, but other main parties will
hopefully declare their support soon."
Philip Booth said: "I would urge everyone who supports fundamental
human rights to support this petition and to ask their friends and
co-workers to do so too. The petition can be accessed via <www.idahomophobia.org>”
Alice Nkom, the African human rights lawyer who defended the 11 young
men arrested earlier this year in Cameroon and imprisoned for
homosexuality said, “This proposed resolution gives us immense optimism
and we ardently hope that Louis-Georges Tin and the IDAHO Committee
achieve their goal. This is a fight for liberty, and for human rights”.
Michael Cashman, President of the Europarliament’s Intergroup on
Gay and Lesbian Affairs spoke of the group’s unanimous support
for the campaign , and expressed the hope that it will go far. He added
“We hope it will bring strong pressure to bear on the UN, We invite
everyone who supports fundamental human rights to support this petition
and to ask their friends and co-workers to do so too.”
Notes:
Louis-Georges Tin, the President of the Committee of the
International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) who launched the global
petition for a proposed United Nations resolution in favour of the
universal decriminalisation of homosexuality notes that the campaign
had two main components. Firstly an external media campaign to raise
awareness amongst public opinion and government, including the signing
of the petition, and secondly the lobbying of members of the newly
formed UN Council of Human Rights. Tin has already had talks with the
government of South Africa, who have expressed an interest in proposing
the resolution. He cited previous United Nations rulings such as Toonen
v Tasmania, (where the arrest of a citizen of Tasmania was declared by
a committee of the UN to be “a breach of human rights” ) and the more
recent ruling by a UN working group that the imprisonment of gay men
in Cameroon was an “arbitary deprivation of liberty”, as
“encouraging signs”.
The International Day against Homophobia is marked on May 17th
every year in over 50 countries. In the UK this year there were over 40
events-please refer to www.idaho.org.uk
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