Colombia violated a gay citizen's rights to non-discrimination and equality by refusing him the pension from his partner who died in 2001, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled.
The judges on the court, which sits in the Costa Rican capital San Jose, gave their verdict in favor of the Colombian man with the last name Duque in a 4-2 decision.
Lawyers for Colombia acknowledged that the country's laws at the time fell short of the American Convention on Human Rights, and noted that the law was changed in 2008 to give same-sex couples the same welfare and pension benefits as heterosexual married ones.
But the court, which examines human rights decisions for the Organization of American States, found that Duque had suffered discrimination before that legislative change.
It ordered Bogota to make reparations, including by restoring to him his partner's pension, and to pay damages and legal costs.
Colombia violated a gay citizen’s rights to non-discrimination and equality by refusing him the pension from his partner who died in 2001, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled.
The judges on the court, which sits in the Costa Rican capital San Jose, gave their verdict in favor of the Colombian man with the last name Duque in a 4-2 decision.
Lawyers for Colombia acknowledged that the country’s laws at the time fell short of the American Convention on Human Rights, and noted that the law was changed in 2008 to give same-sex couples the same welfare and pension benefits as heterosexual married ones.
But the court, which examines human rights decisions for the Organization of American States, found that Duque had suffered discrimination before that legislative change.
It ordered Bogota to make reparations, including by restoring to him his partner’s pension, and to pay damages and legal costs.
