Ukraine: Supreme Court decision recognizing same-sex couple as family marks important step for LGBTI rights
Responding to the Supreme Court of Ukraine’s decision to uphold a lower court ruling recognizing a same-sex couple as a de facto family, Veronika Velch, Director of Amnesty International Ukraine, said:
“The Supreme Court’s refusal to overturn this ruling reaffirms the lower court’s important finding that same-sex couples have the right to be recognized as a family.
“This is a significant precedent. The court made clear that third-party organizations cannot use the courts to interfere in people’s private lives or attempt to overturn decisions protecting LGBTI people by invoking vague and absurd claims about ‘public morality’.
“The ruling also reinforces an important principle: the courts must protect individuals’ rights to private and family life and ensure that those rights cannot be undermined by actors seeking to impose discriminatory views through the legal system.
“While the decision does not introduce legal recognition of same-sex partnerships in Ukraine, it acknowledges the reality of a family relationship and represents an important step toward strengthening the protection of LGBTI people’s rights.”
