Tbilisi. Georgian civil society organizations united in the Coalition for Equality released an appeal to the Venice Commission regarding the proposed amendments to Article 30 of the Constitution of Georgia, which provides a new legal definition of marriage.

According to the draft amendments developed by the State Constitutional Commission, Article 36 of the Constitution, under which marriage shall be based upon equality of rights and free will of spouses, will include the following wording: ''A marriage as the union of a man and a woman for the purpose of starting a family, based upon equality of rights and free will of spouses'' (Article 30. The Right to Marriage).

''The Coalition for Equality considers this wording unjustified and sends its own analysis and arguments to the Venice Commission. The appeal undersigned by eight member organizations notes that the Coalition for Equality welcomes some positive changes envisaged by the package of amendments, but simultaneously expresses concern over the restrictive wording that aggravates the rights of separate groups and limits the content and scope of certain rights'', is noted in the statement.

Source: www.osgf.ge