On Wednesday, November 20, at 1:15 PM, a press conference will be held in the Sala Caduti di Nassiriya of the Senate on the human rights situation of gay, lesbian, and transgender people in Russia. This will be just days before the highly anticipated bilateral meeting between Letta and Putin, with the aim of launching an appeal to the Italian government. During the press conference, a counter-initiative will also be presented for the Italy-Russia bilateral meeting in Trieste on November 26: a national conference on the human rights situation in Russia, to be held on November 22, also in Trieste, with international guests. In early August, Associazione Radicale Certi Diritti, AGEDO, Arcigay, Famiglie Arcobaleno, Equality Italia, Arcilesbica, and Rete Genitori Rainbow launched the SOS Russia campaign to support organizations fighting for the human rights of LGBTI people, and others, in Russia. The situation is indeed particularly dramatic: the combined provisions of the law on foreign agents and the law on "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" among minors have led, on the one hand, to an exponential increase in homophobic attacks, and on the other, to severely restrict the freedom of expression of all citizens. The aim of the Italian solidarity race is therefore to cover legal costs for victims of violence or discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and to assist fined Russian associations in paying their legal fees.
The press conference will be attended by Yulia Matsiy, a Russian filmmaker and human rights activist; Yuri Guaiana, secretary of the Radical Association Certi Diritti; Flavio Romani, president of Arcigay; Aurelio Mancuso, president of Equality Italia; and Natascia Esposito, member of the Famiglie Arcobaleno board. Senators Luigi Manconi, chair of the Senate Human Rights Committee, and Sergio Lo Giudice, member of the Human Rights Committee, will also deliver greetings.
NB: Please remember that to access the Senate premises you must wear a jacket and tie, as well as an identity document.
Access is from the main entrance of Palazzo Madama which is located at Piazza Madama 11
Rome, November 18, 2013