in-cyprus 10 October 2024
The parliament is discussing increasing penalties for inciting violence or hatred based on sexual orientation or gender identity, as incidents of homophobic attacks rise and LGBTQ+ individuals report growing insecurity.
A proposed law, debated yesterday in the Legal Affairs Committee, aims to raise the maximum prison sentence from three to five years and double the fine to €10,000 for offences with homophobic motives.
This year, over 10 cases of homophobic violence have been reported to the police, with some advancing to court while others remain unsolved.
The most significant incident involved a smoke bomb attack on individuals gathered at TEPAK in Limassol, for which no suspects have been identified.
Aristos Damianou, the AKEL MP who introduced the bill, stated, “As the AKEL Parliamentary Group, we have formulated a general plan to modernise the criminal code, particularly regarding the protection of human rights and freedoms.”
Concurrently, the Council of Ministers approved the creation of Cyprus’s first national strategy for LGBTQ+ individuals, covering 2025-2028.
Panayiotis Palates, the Commissioner for Citizens’ Affairs, will coordinate the preparation and implementation of this strategy.
The strategy will focus on aligning Cypriot legislation with EU standards, addressing discrimination, ensuring equality and safety, and building an inclusive society for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Palates noted that in preliminary meetings with Accept-LGBTI Cyprus, several urgent security concerns were identified. “Unfortunately, these are problems that exist daily,” he said.
The national strategy will include actions and goals across various sectors of social life, including health, education, employment, welfare, and security for LGBTQ+ individuals.
It will be aligned with the corresponding EU strategy for 2020-2025 on protecting LGBTQ+ rights.
Before finalisation, the strategy will undergo discussions and consultations with all relevant services, bodies, and organisations, aiming for submission to the Council of Ministers by March 2025 for approval and implementation.
