CASE OF VALLIANATOS AND OTHERS v. GREECE

Lesbian and Gay Community of Greece

NGO  -  Reg. number: 4126/2004

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Press Release
on the judgment of European Court of Human Rights
for the case of Vallianatos and others v. Greece

OLKE welcomes with great joy, relief and optimism the Grand Chamber’s judgment. The European Court of Human Rights delivered today a Grand Chamber judgment in the case of Vallianatos and Others v. Greece (applications nos. 29381/09 and 32684/09). In the judgment, it is underlined that “the [Greek] Government has not offered convincing and weighty reasons capable of justifying the exclusion of same-sex couples from the scope of Law no. 3719/2008.” The Court holds by sixteen votes to one, that there has been a violation of Article 14 (The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in [the] Convention shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status) taken in conjunction with Article 8 (“1. Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life [and] his home ... 2. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”) of the Convention i.e. Greece violated its international obligations and, in particular, Articles 8 and 14 of the Convention by excluding same-sex couples from civil unions.
The judgment is final.