Berlin, Sept 18, 2024 (AFP)
Germany on Wednesday urged Georgia to withdraw a "family values" bill that critics say curbs LGBTQ rights and warned the legislation could harm the country's chances of joining the EU.
"We call on Georgia to comply with the relevant standards regarding civil liberties in the European Union and to refrain from this decision," foreign ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer said at a press conference.
The foreign ministry also posted a message on social media platform X saying the law "is designed to discriminate against LGBTQI people" and "moves Georgia further away from the EU".
"We call on Georgia to reverse its course," the ministry said.
Lawmakers from the governing Georgian Dream party approved the contested "family values" bill in a vote on Tuesday.
The bill mirrors similar legislation used in Russia to curb LGBTQ rights and "concerns restricting, in educational institutions and TV broadcasts, the propaganda of same-sex relationships and incest".
Rights groups have criticised the wording for putting homosexual relations on a par with incest.
The law also bans gender transition and adoption by gay and transgender people, and nullifies same-sex marriages performed abroad on Georgian territory.
The EU has already warned Georgia's government that its membership bid has been "de facto halted" as it advances a string of measures that run counter to European values.
The passage of the "family values" bill follows the adoption of an anti-NGO "foreign influence" law, which triggered mass anti-government protests and a subsequent crackdown.
Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell on Wednesday also urged Georgia to withdraw the bill, warning it would increase "discrimination" and "stigmatisation".
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Sumber : AFP