Date: Tue, 4 Jun 1996 17:54:57 +0200 (MET DST)
From: skolander@bahnhof.se (Bjoern Skolander)
Subject: Romanian Response to Letters of Protest

I today received a letter from the President of the Romanian Commission for
Human Rights, Cults and National Minorites, Mr Eberhard-Wolfgang Wittstock,
where he reacts to the letter of protest he and about 40 other Romanian
politicians received, with signatures from members of this and other mailing
lists.

The text of the letter is as follows:


                       Parlamentul Romaniei

                    Camera Deputatilor - Romania

Commission for Human Rihts, Cults                  Bucuresti 28 mai 1996 
and National Minorities                            Nr. 157  


Dear Sir,

Thank you for your letter and for your preoccupation concerning the respect
of human rights in Romania.

The Chamber of Deputies debates indeed a new attempt of revising of the
Romanian Penal Code. But the new provision on homosexuality does not
criminalize, at least directly, the consensual and private same-sex
relations. It is true, its expression is not the better, but it comprises a
progress as against the provision in operation. Thus, according to the new
Article 200, only those same-sex relations which take place in public or
cause scandal are criminalized.

Instead, your concern regarding the intention of banning the associations of
gays and lesbians is, to a certain extent, real. As for me, I do what I can
so as to allow the freedom of association for all the persons. I mean that I
shall plead in the Chamber of Deputies for to oust this provision.

Yours sincerely,

Eberhard-Wolfgang Wittstock
President



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