Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> JURIST - The Paper Chase

Legal News

: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Russia court rejects appeal to recognize same-sex marriage

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A Moscow court on Thursday rejected an appeal of a lower court ruling that denied recognition of a marriage between two women. The couple, Irina Fedotova-Fet and Irina Shepitko, applied for a marriage license in March, but were refused by the registry. The women appealed to the Tverskoi District Court in Moscow, arguing that nothing in the Russian Constitution prohibits the recognition of same-sex marriage. That court rejected their appeal in October, and the appeals court affirmed that ruling Thursday, stating that Russia only recognizes marriage between a man and a woman. Counsel for the two women stated that they plan to appeal the case to the European Court of Human Rights for a violation of Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights. In Europe, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, and Sweden all allow same-sex marriages, while several other European countries allow partnerships with limited rights. Earlier this month, the Portuguese Parliament approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage after Portugal's high court ruled in August that the right to a same-sex marriage was not present in the country's constitution. In June, Ireland passed a bill that gave limited rights to same-sex partners. Last year, the European Court of Justice, spurred by a complaint from a German man, ruled that same-sex partners have a right to survivor pensions.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on January 21, 2010 (boomark / email).