■ BANNED - 1:  Vilnius trolley buses with ad promoting sexual orientation equality in the workplace.  The ads were funded by the European Union.  The ban decreed by Mayor  Imbrasas.

LONDON, November 12, 2007  –  Amnesty International today called on its 2.2 million members worldwide to address the rising tide of homophobia in Lithuania.

In recent months the gay community in the Baltic state has seen marches repeatedly banned for spurious reasons, a smoke-bomb attack on a gay-rights conference, and numerous homophobic comments from leading politicians.

Earlier this year in May, Vilnius Mayor Juozas Imbrasas banned a one-day visit of the official European Union “Stop Discrimination” truck on its tour of 19 member-states as part of the ‘For Diversity: Against Discrimination’ information campaign.

The Mayor’s grounds for refusal were security risks and that events around the truck might cause riots.

Just days before the ban on the EU truck, the Mayor of Vilnius supported a refusal to display advertisements on Vilnius’ trolleybuses promoting sexual orientation equality in employment developed for an EU-funded project.

“We disapprove of the public display of homosexualists’ (sic) ideas in the city of Vilnius,” the Mayor at the time.

Last month, the city banned a “rainbow flag” event arranged by local gay groups to mark the International Lesbian and Gay Association’s annual European conference in Vilnius.  A local court backed the City’s decision.

“To persecute people for their sexual orientation is to violate their fundamental human rights,” Amnesty International said in a statement today.

“Amnesty International calls on the Lithuanian authorities to respect the right to peaceful freedom of assembly for all, the right not to be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation and to actively promote respect for diversity in their country.

“The Lithuanian authorities also need to offer adequate police protection to the country’s gay community,” the statement pointed out.

Amnesty has asked its members to write to the country’s Minister of the Interior, Raimondas Sukys, and Mayor Imbrasas to voice their concerns and to remind them both that the rights to freedom of assembly and association is a human right for all.

■ BANNED - 2:  The official European Union 'Stop Discrimination' Truck not allowed in Vilnius, said Mayor Juozas Imbrasas.  Truck is pictured outside the European Parliament building in Strasbourg. photo: European Union

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Posted: 12 November 2007 at 18:00 (UK time)