Latvia has voted to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, a treaty designed to protect women from violence, after a 13-hour parliamentary debate on Thursday. The decision comes amid growing political divisions and widespread public protests, highlighting tensions over gender and human rights issues in the country.
The Istanbul Convention, which took effect in Latvia in 2024, aims to standardize support for women who are victims of violence, including domestic abuse. However, ultra-conservative groups and political parties across Europe have criticized the treaty, claiming it promotes “gender ideology,” encourages sexual experimentation, and harms children.
Opposition lawmakers in Latvia initiated the withdrawal process in September, gaining support from the Union of Greens and Farmers, a member of the governing coalition, which also includes the center-right party of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and a center-left party. Siliņa, whose government came to power in 2023 with a pledge to ratify the convention, has strongly criticized the withdrawal. “Those who have been brave enough to seek help are now witnessing their experiences being used for political battles,” she wrote on social platform X in October. “It is cruel.”
The alliance between opposition and governing coalition members backing withdrawal underscores fractures within the government ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for fall 2026. The move has drawn international condemnation. Tamar Dekanosidze from the women’s rights organization Equality Now said, “This decision not only endangers women and girls in Latvia, it emboldens anti-human rights movements across Europe and Central Asia, and supports authoritarian tendencies of governments moving away from the rule of law, international justice and democratic values.”
The decision sparked protests in Riga, where roughly 5,000 people demonstrated against the withdrawal on Wednesday night. A smaller pro-withdrawal rally of around 20 people took place on Thursday.
Following the parliamentary vote, President Edgars Rinkēvičs is expected to review the law. He has several options, including returning it to Parliament for reassessment or potentially triggering a referendum under specific circumstances, leaving the final outcome uncertain.
