Main narratives:
- The government is destroying traditional values;
- LGBTQ+ values are morally decadent.
Overview:
After years of contentious debate, Latvia ratified the Istanbul Convention on November 30, 2023, with the treaty entering into force on May 1, 2024. The Convention, a Council of Europe human rights treaty designed to prevent violence against women and domestic violence, has since enabled significant reforms that are already providing practical support to victims. However, opposition lawmakers from the National Alliance, United List, and Latvia First parties, joined by the governing coalition’s Greens and Farmers’ Union (ZZS), have now submitted a proposal to withdraw Latvia from the treaty, triggering a renewed wave of conspiracies and disinformation propagated by Latvian politicians.
Opposition to the Istanbul Convention in Latvia has long been characterized by conspiracy theories and distorted claims that misrepresent the treaty’s actual purpose. Rather than addressing the Convention’s focus on protecting victims of domestic violence and holding perpetrators accountable, critics have fabricated alternative narratives designed to generate fear and outrage.
Last week, politicians like Ainars Slesers from Latvia First have repeatedly claimed the Convention promotes “117 genders” and represents an evil anti-traditional value ideology. He also used irony to dismiss valid accusations of his echoing Russian propaganda with such statements. This baseless assertion has no connection to the treaty’s text, which focuses specifically on violence prevention and victim protection. The manufactured gender panic serves to discredit liberal coalition parties and promote illiberal, undemocratic ideas and policies.
Bremanis from the New Latvians party has made inflammatory and completely false accusations that the Convention supports “pedophilia”, “transvestism,” and “sodomy.” These claims represent deliberate disinformation designed to associate a violence prevention treaty with immorality and conspiracy to destroy moral values in Latvia.
The debate has been framed as a battle between “natural family values” and “progressive ideology.” This rhetorical strategy attempts to reframe a human rights issue as a culture war. The Convention has been portrayed as part of a global conspiracy rather than what it actually is – a legally binding instrument focused on combating violence against women through prevention, prosecution, and protection measures.
The Istanbul Convention establishes comprehensive measures to prevent domestic violence, protect victims, and prosecute offenders. Since its implementation in Latvia, reforms have already begun providing tangible benefits to those experiencing violence. The disinformation campaigns ignore these practical outcomes, instead creating fictional threats that have no basis in the Convention’s actual provisions.
The current withdrawal effort represents a continuation of years-long opposition that relies on disinformation rather than substantive policy critique. As Latvia’s parliament considers this proposal, the same false narratives that preceded ratification have resurfaced, demonstrating how disinformation can persist even after policy implementation proves initial fears unfounded.
