US State Dept. on LGBT human rights violations in Belarus
25/05/2012
Submitted by
Viachaslau Bortnik
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
Homosexuality is not illegal, but discrimination against members of the LGBT community was widespread, and harassment occurred.
Authorities routinely denied LGBT groups permission to hold public events, including a pride parade. In early May authorities denied the LGBT community 100 applications to hold scores of events to mark the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. In spite of the denial, members of the local LGBT rights NGO Gay Belarus planned to pass out leaflets in downtown Minsk on May 17. However, authorities preemptively detained approximately 15 group members, held them for three hours, and subsequently released them without charge.
In December authorities denied a registration application to a gay rights group, Alternative Plus Human Rights Center, citing minor errors in information on its founders, such as a misspelled name and a wrong birth date. Societal discrimination against LGBT activists persisted. For example, the gay pride parade in October was marred by homophobic attacks, including painting homophobic graffiti and throwing eggs on walls of an openly gay bar in Minsk.
On July 18, Natallya Pradzed, an LGBT activist, held a picket in Minsk to protest violations of human rights and arbitrary government policies. She was arrested and sentenced to 10 days in jail.
On October 7, Lukashenka apologized for having told German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who is gay, “that he had to lead a normal life,” presumably at a closed meeting in November 2010. Lukashenka noted that he regretted his statement but condemned homosexual relations. Earlier, he stated that he did not understand how two men could live together and would exile gay men to collective farms “with great pleasure.”
http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
Homosexuality is not illegal, but discrimination against members of the LGBT community was widespread, and harassment occurred.
Authorities routinely denied LGBT groups permission to hold public events, including a pride parade. In early May authorities denied the LGBT community 100 applications to hold scores of events to mark the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. In spite of the denial, members of the local LGBT rights NGO Gay Belarus planned to pass out leaflets in downtown Minsk on May 17. However, authorities preemptively detained approximately 15 group members, held them for three hours, and subsequently released them without charge.
In December authorities denied a registration application to a gay rights group, Alternative Plus Human Rights Center, citing minor errors in information on its founders, such as a misspelled name and a wrong birth date. Societal discrimination against LGBT activists persisted. For example, the gay pride parade in October was marred by homophobic attacks, including painting homophobic graffiti and throwing eggs on walls of an openly gay bar in Minsk.
On July 18, Natallya Pradzed, an LGBT activist, held a picket in Minsk to protest violations of human rights and arbitrary government policies. She was arrested and sentenced to 10 days in jail.
On October 7, Lukashenka apologized for having told German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who is gay, “that he had to lead a normal life,” presumably at a closed meeting in November 2010. Lukashenka noted that he regretted his statement but condemned homosexual relations. Earlier, he stated that he did not understand how two men could live together and would exile gay men to collective farms “with great pleasure.”
http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper
