Latvian President Returns Istanbul Convention Withdrawal Bill for Reconsideration

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs has asked parliament to revisit the law that would withdraw Latvia from the Istanbul Convention, an international agreement aimed at combating violence against women and domestic abuse, Orda.kz reports.

I am requesting a repeated review of the law ‘On Withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence,’
Rinkēvičs wrote on X.

The Saeima approved the withdrawal bill on October 31. Soon after, diplomats from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and 12 other countries sent a letter to Latvia’s top officials expressing concern over the move.

The diplomats described the Istanbul Convention as “the most comprehensive legal framework aimed at preventing and combating all forms of violence against women and domestic violence.”