Conference on LGBTQI+ Rights in Incarceration

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The Mojust Foundation is pleased to announce an upcoming conference focusing on the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals in incarceration settings and beyond. This event aims to address the severe restrictions and inequalities faced by people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and other identities (LGBTQI+), particularly in regions where their rights are heavily suppressed.

The conference seeks to highlight the complex challenges and discriminatory practices affecting LGBTQI+ individuals worldwide, with a special focus on the Middle East. This region often witnesses significant hostility, with homosexuality criminalized in ten out of eighteen countries, and punishments ranging up to the death penalty in six nations (Human Rights Watch, 2021). Countries like Bahrain, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, West Bank, and Turkey recognize the legality of homosexuality, whereas others, including Kuwait, Egypt, Oman, Qatar, and Syria, impose severe penalties, including imprisonment and death.

Transgender rights, although slightly more acknowledged, are still not sufficiently protected, with individuals often subjected to severe violence, particularly in Iran and Turkey. Discrimination and stigma against transgender people are significantly underreported, and comprehensive data is scarce.

Globally, the status of LGBTQI+ rights varies greatly. While North America and much of Western Europe offer extensive rights and protections, substantial challenges remain, especially in Eastern Europe and Russia (Freedom House, 2019). This conference will provide a platform for participants to share experiences and strategies to combat discrimination and secure equal rights for all LGBTQI+ members, especially those in incarceration.

Partnerships with:

• Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) – Switzerland
• SOMOS – Communication, Health, and Sexuality (SOMOS) – Brazil
• ILGA World
• Hêvi LGBTQ+ Association – Turkey
• Proud Lebanon – Lebanon
• Kurdish Students Association at the University of Geneva (ADEK) – Switzerland
• University Conference of Student Associations (CUAE)
• PRISMI Lgbtiq+ global slotarity
• 6Rang

• La Commission de gestion des taxes fixes (CGTF)

Conference Details

Date: September 21, 2024
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:45 PM
Venue: University of Geneva, UniMail, Room M R080

Simultaneous translation available in French, English, and Turkish

Program Agenda

Welcome and Introduction
Time: 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Opening

SESSION I
LEGAL PROTECTION OF LGBTIQ+ RIGHTS AND THE SITUATION IN PRISONS
Time: 09:00 – 11:00

Speakers:
Moderator: Muhamed UNSAL, Lawyer, Human Rights Defender

• Raphaël BAGI: Protection of LGBTIQ+ Rights in the International Legal Order (Center for Comparative, European, and International Law, University of Lausanne)
• Jerome MANGELINCKX: International Standards and Reforms for LGBTIQ+ Individuals in Prison (Penal Reform International)
• Yağmur BIRDAL: Lawyer, Presentation of the Report on Transgender Inmates and Legal Challenges prepared by Hêvî LGBT and Mojust Foundation
• Quantin MARKARIAN: Sex segregation and the placement of trans people in prison (Department of public law, University of Geneva)

11:00 – 11:15 | Break

SESSION II
VULNERABILITIES, ACCESS TO RIGHTS, AND SERVICES FOR LGBTIQ+ PERSONS
Time: 11:15 – 12:45

Speakers:

• Veronica FILIPPESCHI: Prevention of Torture and Protection of LGBTIQ+ Individuals in Prisons (Association for the Prevention of Torture, APT)
• Gergely FLIEGAUF: Detention Conditions of LGBTIQ+ Persons and core principles to ensure their respectful and decent treatment in prison (European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, CPT)
• Patrick BERGUER: Living Conditions of LGBTIQ+ Persons in Detention Centers and Migrant Shelters (Amnesty International Geneva)

 12:45 – 13:45 | Lunch Break

 SESSION III
LGBTIQ+ RIGHTS AT THE REGIONAL AND GLOBAL LEVELS
Time: 13:45 – 16:00

Speakers:

Moderator: Sophie HELLE, Human rights expert

• Rasha YOUNES: Expertise on LGBTIQ+ Rights in North Africa and the Middle East (HRW)
• Bertho MAKSO: LGBTIQ+ Rights in Lebanon and the Role of ProudLebanon
• Gaspard NORDMANN: Situation of LGBTIQ+ Rights in Bolivia and Local Advocacy (PRISMI)
• Jean Jacques DISSOKE: Overview of the Situation of LGBTIQ+ Detainees in Cameroon and Human Rights Violations (Collectif One Advocacy Africa / World)
• Shadi AMIN: The Islamic Republic of Pain: An Overview of the Situation in Iran (6 Rang)

16:00 – 16:15 | Break

SESSION IV
SOCIAL CHANGE AND AWARENESS: THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
Time: 16:15 – 17:45

Speakers:
Moderator: Deniz GEDIK, Lawyer, PhD Candidate at Humboldt University, Berlin

• Eren KESKIN: The Role of Civil Society in Defending Human Rights, Especially LGBTIQ+ Persons (Human Rights Association, Turkey)
• Guillaume MANDICOURT: Local Public Policies Towards LGBTIQ+ Persons: The Case of City of Geneva
• Caio KLEIN: Visibility and Awareness of LGBTIQ+ Persons in Society (SOMOS, Brazil)
• Gurchaten SANDHU: Advocacy for LGBTIQ+ Rights on a Global Scale (ILGA World)

You can download here the last English version of the PROGRAM

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