Skopje, 7 July 2023 (MIA) - In a letter addressed to the Macedonian Parliament, Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović strongly encourages ongoing efforts to bring the Macedonian legal framework in line with Council of Europe standards in the field of legal gender recognition for transgender (trans) people. 

The letter is addressed to the Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi, Chairperson of the Committee on the Political System and Inter-ethnic Relationships, Sonja Mirakovska, Chairperson of the Legislative Committee, Snezana Kalevska – Vancheva and Parliamentary Rapporteur for law proposal, Maja Morachanin.

“The Commissioner considers that adopting the pending amendments to the Law on Civil Registry (no. 08-3221/1) would represent a crucial step in the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of X v. "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", from 2019, in which the Court found a violation of Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights because of the absence of quick, transparent and accessible procedures in national legislation for gender recognition. The Commissioner stresses that “the execution of the Court’s judgments is a cornerstone of human rights protection in the Council of Europe region,” Council of Europe said in a press release.

The Commissioner observes that access to legal gender recognition is crucial to prevent discrimination and violence against trans people. She furthermore underlines the key role of members of parliament in combating existing societal prejudices and intolerance against LGBTI people and calls on them to resist pressure from groups seeking to undermine full respect for human rights.

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