Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

Following our call to you on June 16, 2021 for a public condemnation of a law recently passed in Hungary against LGBT + people, we would like to ask you when the government's analysis of this law will be completed.

As stated in a statement by 18 EU countries, the newly adopted Hungarian law prohibits the "display and promotion of gender identity different from birth, gender reassignment and homosexuality" in relation to content available to persons under the age of 18. As is clear from this quote, it is not true that this provision protects children or their parents in any way. Quite the opposite. It restricts their freedom of speech, the right to information, introduces state censorship and, last but not least, takes away the much-needed (often vital) help for young LGBT + people.

At the press conference on June 25, you stated that the content of this the law is not clear and that you will further analyze it in cooperation with the Office of the Government and consider further steps accordingly. Therefore, we ask for information on the conclusions of this analysis, or when it will be completed, and what steps your government will take from it. Both the public statement of the Government of the Czech Republic and the actions of all representatives of the Czech Republic in any EU institutions in order to support sanctions against Hungary are to be considered.

A clear negative statement towards the law, which clearly discriminates against LGBT + people and introduces censorship, would be an important signal not only externally but also internally in the Czech Republic that your words from the press conference on respect for LGBT + equality are translated into practice. This is not just a purely national matter of Hungary. We share with it a union whose stability depends on sharing respect for individual freedom and rejecting discrimination. In our opinion, not being clearly on the side of these values ​​would have very adverse effects on the Czech Republic's cooperation with other countries that opposed the Hungarian government's actions, the credibility of the Czech government in rejecting discrimination, but most importantly would represent a refusal to lend a helping hand to LGBT + people in Hungary.

Even countries other than Hungary have major shortcomings in ensuring equality for us, lesbians, gays, bisexual and trans * people, and there is much to improve. Not excluding the Czech Republic - whether it is the lack of marriage equality, joint parental rights, the mandatory sterilization of trans* people or the absence of a government strategy for solving problems of LGBT + people. However, the newly adopted law in Hungary introduces a completely unacceptable level of censorship and discrimination, towards which the Czech Republic should clearly distance itself.

Thank you in advance for devoting time to our request.

Regards,

Adéla Horáková

representing Amnesty International Czech Republic, z.s., Logos Czech Republic, z.s., Mezipatra z.s., Platform for Equality, Recognition and Diversity z.s., Prague Pride z.s. and Queer Geography, z.s.