Court Reverses Baltic Gay Pride Ban

An appeals court in Lithuania has reversed an order from a lower court to suspend a gay pride march scheduled for Saturday in Vilnius.

According to the Associated Press, the supreme administration court said Friday that "the rights to assembly and expression are guaranteed by the European Convention and the government is obligated to defend them."

On Wednesday the Vilnius country administrative court ordered that permission for the March for Tolerance, granted by Mayor Vilius Navickas, be suspended following requests from interim attorney general Raimondas Petrauskas and city council member Stanislovas Buskevicius.

Opponents of the march cited security concerns and traditional Lithuanian values as the reason for the suspension.

Because of the successful appeal, the March for Tolerance will proceed as planned for the Baltic Gay Pride festivities on Saturday.