UN and EU condemn growing crackdown on LGBTI rights and human rights defenders in Belarus.
The United Nations has condemned increasing violence, discrimination, and hate speech targeting LGBTI people in Belarus, while the European Union has raised the alarm over the escalating repression of human rights defenders, civil society, and independent media in Belarus.
On 3 April, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Belarus. In this document, the UN body deplored the increasing discrimination, violence, and repression against LGBTI persons. Earlier this year, the UN Group of Independent Experts on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus highlighted restrictions and censorship of LGBTI-related information, violence and intimidation against LGBTI individuals, and the use of anti-LGBTI hate speech by politicians and law enforcement, among many other concerns.
On 2 April, the European Parliament adopted an urgency resolution on the repression in Belarus. Among other measures, it called on the EU and its Member States to increase support for the media, human rights defenders, trade unions, and civil society initiatives operating both within and outside Belarus. It also called for simplified procedures for obtaining visas, residence permits, and provisional identification documents. Furthermore, the European Parliament encouraged governments to disregard the Belarusian government’s requests for the extradition of political opponents and to impose additional sanctions, particularly on officials responsible for transnational repression.
The absence of a legal and policy framework protecting the human rights of LGBTI people is part of a broader pattern of restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms. Belarus was ranked 44th out of 49 countries in the latest Rainbow Map published by ILGA-Europe. LGBTI individuals in the country are subjected to systemic repression, with their rights systematically targeted using discriminatory laws and acts of violence. Many LGBTI human rights defenders have been forced into exile.
ILGA-Europe will continue to support the Belarusian LGBTI community, including those in exile, in advocating for an end to ongoing human rights violations and the repeal of discriminatory laws, and contributing to the movement’s long-term strength and sustainability.
This year, the government of Belarus is submitting its report under the Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council. We call on UN Member States to include in their recommendations the issue of the ongoing persecution of LGBTI individuals, which is embedded within the broader context of political repression in Belarus.
