( Press Release)
The European Union (EU) Delegation issues the following press release in agreement with the EU Heads of Mission, Ambassadors of Norway and Switzerland and High Commissioners of Canada and Australia in Colombo.
DECLARATION BY INTERNATIONAL AMBASSADORS AND HIGH COMMISSIONERS ON THE OCCASION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA AND BIPHOBIA.
Colombo, 16 May 2016 – The last 16 months have seen a number of important and significant advances in human rights and the respect for fundamental freedoms in Sri Lanka.
We welcome these developments. But there is one section of the population who continues to report surveillance and harassment; a section of the population whose rights are not respected; a section of the population that is criminalised for relationships we think normal and
commonplace:
– The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community.
This sort of discrimination has no place in twenty-first century Sri Lanka. Human rights are universal, and apply to all individuals regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. On the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, we, the undersigned members of the international community, call on Sri Lanka to use the historic opportunity of the new constitution to end discrimination in law against LGBTI people and repeal sections 365 and 365A of the Penal Code.
Signed
David Daly, Head of Delegation, European Union
Jean-Marin Schuh, Ambassador, Republic of France
Juergen Morhard, Ambassador, Federal Republic of Germany 1 of 2
Paolo Andrea Bartorelli, Ambassador, Italy
Joanne Doornewaard, Ambassador, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Victor Chiudjea. Ambassador, Romania
James Dauris, High Commissioner, United Kingdom
Thorbjorn Gaustadsæther, Ambassador, Kingdom of Norway
Heinz Walker-Nederkoorn, Ambassador, Switzerland
Bryce Hutchesson, High Commissioner, Australia
Shelley Whiting, High Commissioner, Canada