There is a debate on the Istanbul Convention: today I am on the side of the priest Tolyat

“The presidency is still in 2018. He presented the draft of the Istanbul Convention to the Seimas, I think it is good that we are discussing this document today, because the adoption of documents without discussion, including discussions in the public space, is not a good thing” , assured Gitanas Nausuróda.

The way the debate plays out is disappointing

“As a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania, I am very disappointed in the way this discussion is progressing. The attack on the esteemed priest Toliatas simply because he has stated the official position of the church, he has not presented his position of any kind, and the attack to such methods and in this way is unacceptable and shows that something has happened in our public space during the last ten or fifteen years.

And very simple things happened. Today a public inquisition has been formed in Lithuania, that is, people who imagine they can mix dissidents with dirt, sometimes they do it in a disgusting way, and they consider themselves unpunished. I think we don’t have to put up with this.

Today, I am on the side of the esteemed Tolyat priest, mainly because I am on his side as a human side. “The position he represents is a derivative issue, we can discuss the charges, but let’s do it with respect,” the President emphasized.

We remind you that the famous priest Algirdas Toliatas received criticism from famous people last week for his speeches on the social network Facebook. Tolyat called for two petitions to be signed, against the Istanbul Convention and against the legalization of a gender-neutral association.

“The culture of bullying in Lithuania must be eradicated,” said G. Nausėda.

Advocates for legal regulation

“I think it is very good that the Istanbul Convention is being considered. It may or may not be accepted. Much will depend on the laws that provide for the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention. As you know, we will soon consider a number of other laws, if they come. to the plenary session of the Seimas, and on homogeneous marriages or couples, or other decisions that are related to the needs of these people.

I think there must be a legal arrangement for same-sex marriages or couples, but it must be that, on the one hand, we guarantee people’s rights and, on the other hand, we certainly do not achieve even greater resistance in society. we have today, ”said the president.

Disagreements over the ratification of the Istanbul Convention have intensified in Lithuania in recent days. As the rulers hoped that the question of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention would be resolved at the Seimas during the spring session, serious disagreements arose in Lithuania on the content of this convention. Disagreements also arose between parliamentarians.

Paulius Saudargas, vice president of the Seimas and a member of the Lithuanian Christian National-Democratic Union (TS-LKD) faction, says that although he would agree with most of the provisions of the convention, at least several aspects of it are worrying. .

“This is a convention for violence against women, against people in the immediate environment, against children, all of which really need to be improved,” she said. But Saudargas says he’s stuck in the gender stance. It is said that the convention speaks of it as a social construction, that people are free to choose it.

Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius, chairman of the Seimas Human Rights Committee and a member of the Freedom Party, says that discussions of concepts divert attention from real issues. “The Istanbul Convention provokes many discussions and shifts our attention from solving real problems to superficial discussion, where various opposing parties intimidate and intimidate society,” Raskevičius said.

Various Catholic schools, socially active priests and others are calling for petitions against the ratification of this convention and against the legitimization of the institution of the gender neutral association to be signed.

The Ministry of Social Security and Labor intends to present an updated draft law on protection against domestic violence in the spring session of parliament and declares that the ratification of the Istanbul Convention should be considered at the same time.

The Ombudsman of Seimas Augustinas Normantas also called for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention after conducting a study on the provision of assistance to people who have suffered domestic violence.

The convention has been submitted to the Seimas for ratification by former President Dalia Grybauskaitė, but the process has stalled due to political disagreement over some provisions of the document.

The Freedom Party faction hopes to introduce the gender-neutral association bill, which is currently being prepared, to the Seimas during the spring session. In Lithuania, the union is not legalized for men and women or same-sex couples. Several previous attempts by liberal politicians to legalize civil association in the country have not reached the stage of adoption in the Seimas.

The Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference has previously asked the new government not to equate same-sex couples with family or marriage.