Czech Senate rejects Istanbul Convention

According to a report by Euronews Turkish, the Senate in the Czech Republic has not ratified the Istanbul Convention, which is considered an international benchmark in the fight against violence against women. 

Representatives of the upper house of parliament voted 'no' to the convention by a margin of just two votes, leaving Prague among the minority of European countries that have not incorporated the convention into their domestic legal statutes.

The conservative wing in the country, which opposes the agreement, objects to deviations from "traditional roles" for men and women in society and argues that it does not reduce violence in countries that have ratified it.

EMPHASIS ON "INTERNATIONAL DISGRACE"

Prime Minister Petr Fiala's government reacted to the decision from the Senate. Stating that the rejection would not affect the country's fight against violence or existing laws, Fiala said that a broader discussion environment is needed for the law to be ratified in the future. Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvorak described the rejection of the convention as an "international disgrace."

TURKEY, WHICH HOSTED THE CONVENTION, HAD WITHDRAWN

The decision from the Senate does not mean that the Czech Republic is withdrawing from the convention it signed in 2016. For that step, the Chamber of Deputies must also reject the convention. However, it is not yet certain when the lower house of parliament will address this issue. 

The agreement, which is called the Istanbul Convention because it was signed in Istanbul in 2011, was created by the Council of Europe and its member states.

The text, officially titled the "Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence," recognizes violence against women as a human rights violation and covers various forms of gender-based violence.

Turkey had also withdrawn from the agreement in 2021.