On Tuesday, Legal Agenda announced that on 1/11/2022, the State Council, Lebanon’s high administrative court, suspended the execution of the decision of the Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi that banned LGBTQ+ meetings.
Mawlawi had issued that decision on June 2022 aiming to ban LGBTQ+ meetings and gatherings that allegedly promote “sexual deviance.”
The court’s decision came as a response to the lawsuit filed by the Legal Agenda and Helem in August 2022, challenging the decision based on the infringement of constitutional rights and inciting violence against marginalized communities.
The State Council’s decision came as a temporary suspension of Bassam Mawlawi’s decision until the Council issues its ruling on the lawsuit, issued by the First Chamber of the State Council comprised of judges Fadi Elias, Patricia Fares, and Carl Irani.
The Legal Agenda stated that this decision came as a “positive step” to protect and strengthen the public freedom of marginalized communities.
“As such, security agencies can no longer rely on the Minister’s decision to ban meetings or gatherings or conferences that tackle queer issues or to restrict the work of organizations that advocate for queer rights,” stated the nonprofit advocacy organization.
