Latvia should not proceed with its planned withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the “Istanbul Convention”), the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said today.
On 30 October 2025, the Latvian parliament voted in favour of denouncing the Istanbul Convention. The withdrawal requires confirmation by Latvia´s President to take effect.
Latvia would become the first European Union Member State to withdraw from the Convention, and the first country to do so since Türkiye’s withdrawal in 2021.
“A move to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention would constitute a worrying step backwards in the protection of the rights of women and girls in Latvia and internationally,” said Karolína Babická, Senior Legal Adviser of the ICJ Europe and Central Asia Programme. “Such a withdrawal would set a concerning precedent for the regression in the protection of women’s rights in EU Member States and would be inconsistent with the Union’s founding values under Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union,” she added.
The ICJ calls on the President of Latvia not to sign or transmit notification of withdrawal to the Council of Europe and to ensure that the State continues to fulfil its obligations under the Convention in view of the serious implications of such withdrawal for human rights of women and girls in the country. The ICJ further recalls that Latvia, as a party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), is bound to take effective measures to prevent, investigate and punish gender-based violence and to provide access to justice and reparation for victims.
Background
The Istanbul Convention, which aims to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence, was adopted in 2011 as the first instrument in Europe containing legally binding standards to prevent gender-based violence. The Council of Europe has explicitly emphasised the pressing need for the Convention, as violence against women, including domestic violence, is one of the most serious forms of gender-based violence that is still shrouded in silence. Additionally, domestic violence against other victims such as children, men and the elderly, has also been considered a too often ignored phenomenon.
Latvia ratified the Istanbul Convention in January 2024. The European Union ratified it in June 2023 and it entered into force in October 2023. Member States that have not yet ratified the Convention are legally bound by its provisions that have been implemented in areas of EU competence. In order to ensure comprehensive protection and accountability, Member States should aim to ratify the Convention and work towards its full implementation.
For more information contact Karolína Babická, Senior Legal Adviser, ICJ Europe and Central Asia Programme, at karolina.babicka@icj.org.
