GREVIO report refutes attacks on Istanbul Convention, says Marta Centre head

On Tuesday, a joint sitting of the Saeima's Legal Affairs Committee and the Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee reviewed the first report on Latvia issued by GREVIO, the Council of Europe's group of experts on action against violence against women and domestic violence.

Speaking at the sitting, Iluta Lāce, head of the Marta Centre, said the report's conclusions confirm that the attacks on the Istanbul Convention voiced last autumn were unfounded.

What GREVIO is

GREVIO is a Council of Europe expert body tasked with monitoring how states implement the requirements of the Istanbul Convention, the Council of Europe convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. The report reviewed on Tuesday is the first such GREVIO assessment of the situation in Latvia.

Lāce described the report's findings as confirmation that the criticism directed at the convention last autumn was not backed by facts. Her remarks were made at the joint sitting of the two Saeima committees, where lawmakers were briefed on the expert group's conclusions regarding Latvia.

The Marta Centre is an organisation that supports victims of violence in Latvia and has been actively involved in public discussions about the Istanbul Convention.