State Dept. Cites Russia, But Won’t Comment on S. Arabia’s Death Penalty for Gays
Photo Credit: APAlthough the U.S. State Department recently singled out Russia by name to criticize its law prohibiting homosexual propaganda aimed at youth, the same State Department refused to comment on Saudi Arabia where homosexual conduct is punishable by death.
On Oct. 24, Uzra Zeya, the acting assistant secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, spoke at the ILGA-Europe annual conference in Zagrab, Croatia. ILGA is the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. In her remarks, Secretary Zeya said that promotion of human rights, including those for LGBT people, is a “foreign policy priority” of the United States.
Zeya praised new hate crimes legislation in Europe and then said, “But the United States remains extremely concerned about negative trends in a number of countries. The anti-gay propaganda law in Russia and the proposed law to strip gay parents of their parental rights are alarming.”
“Laws, even when it is unclear how they will be enforced, are incredibly important,” she said. “They are a statement of a country’s values and they have a teaching effect. Laws that validate discrimination, as we have seen in Russia, can lead to an increase in violence and harassment. This is particularly true when authorities don’t act to protect all of their citizens and when they fail to investigate and prosecute crimes committed by or against particular groups.”
Assistant Secretary Zeya also said, “I’ve singled out Russia but, as you all know, it is not the only place where there were disturbing events in 2013.”
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