Civil society welcomes Supreme Court ruling over same-sex marriage

Association

Representatives of the LGBTI community in Costa Rica welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice declaring that the country's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. The Court gave the National Assembly 18 months to enact legislation that will allow same-sex couples to marry. Although considered as an important victory for the LGBTI community,  organisation Frente por Derechos Igualitarios (Front for Equal Rights) commented that the 18 months time-frame imposed by the Court is "arbitrary". As the Court considers the current legislation discriminatory, the remedy should be immediate, explained the organisation. 

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued a statement urging the State to "move forward expeditiously in the effective implementation of this ruling".

In a separate development, the government of Costa Rica rejected a request from Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to give him a list of names of all Nicaraguan people seeking asylum in their country following the political crisis in Nicaragua since April 2018.  Costa Rican authorities replied to the request saying the information is confidential. 

Peaceful Assembly

Hundreds of women held a protest on 11th August 2018 to denounce the killing of two tourists, Arantxa Gutierrez and Maria Mathus, in August 2018. One of the protesters said to media outlet Excelsior:

"We join in the indignation. They are killing us every day, our rights are violated for the simple fact of being women. The State who is also responsible, is not doing anything. We demand our right to be able to walk free, safe and without fear." (Translated from Spanish) 

On 18th August 2018, hundreds of citizens protested against Nicaraguans refugees in the country, seeking asylum.  It was reported that around 20 people were arrested after the protest  turned violent.