Four same-sex couples from Lithuania are turning to the European Court of Human Rights over the legalisation of same-sex partnerships and marriage.
They are demanding the registration of a civil partnership, the inclusion of a marriage contracted abroad in the civil registry, and the recognition and registration of a same-sex marriage in Lithuania.
In a separate case, a same-sex couple is seeking to ensure the rights of a mother to the child she carried.
The initiators say the appeal was prompted by “the inability of Lithuanian courts to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people and to ensure the equality of all the citizens”.
Artūras Rudomanskis, chairman of the Tolerant Youth Association NGO, told BNS that Lithuanian courts had rejected same-sex couples’ requests in these cases.
According to the report, the Constitutional Court will also be asked to clarify the definition of marriage.
“The year-long litigation marathon clearly shows the reasons why trust in courts is so low in Lithuania. International law does not work in Lithuania,” Martynas Norbutas, one of the petitioners, told a press conference on Friday.
“For the first time in Lithuania’s history, the Justice Ministry has supported same-sex families, which is very encouraging. However, Lithuanian courts seem to prefer Russia’s position on family law for now. So we will strive for equality with the help of international institutions,” Rudomanskis said.
The statement also pointed out that 16 out of 27 EU countries have legalised same-sex marriage, and 24 of the 27 EU member states recognise some form of same-sex family.
In Lithuania, civil partnership is currently not available for either same-sex or opposite-sex couples.
The Lithuanian parliament is currently debating a civil union bill that has passed the discussion stage.
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