Papers

Fleeing Homophobia Conference

VU University Amsterdam, 5 and 6 September 2011

Basis of Claims and Background Information on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Asylum-Seekers and Refugees from Belarus
Viachaslau Bortnik

Introduction

Based on official statistics made available to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) by asylum countries, the number of citizens from the Republic of Belarus (Belarus) claiming asylum in 29 of the most industrialized countries in the world, while limited, has increased in the last few years (UNHCR, 2004). The number of cases of asylum-seekers and refugees has grown from 3,291 in 2000 to 6,480 in 2010, peaking in 2006 (11,062). 1 This trend has generated numerous queries addressed to the UNHCR by asylum countries assembling information relevant to the determination of the status of asylum-seekers originating from Belarus. The number of gender-related claims (including those based on discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people) is not known 2, but one can assume that the large increase in asylum claims overall includes an increase in these types of claims.. According to the results of a survey conducted by Gay.by in April 2011, 65.6% of respondents have thought of leaving Belarus because of homophobia. 3 The UNHCR addressed matters related to homosexual asylum-seekers and
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UNHCR. (2011). Statistical Online Population Database. Retrieved August 14, 2011, from http://apps.who.int/globalatlas/default.asp. 2 From 2002-2007, the author of this article personally served as a reference in eight separate cases of lesbian and gay asylum-seekers from Belarus who filed applications in the Czech Republic, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States. 3 GAY.BY. (2011). Retrieved August 14, 2011, from http://www.news.gayby.net/news/2011-04-14-4120.

refugees originating from Belarus in its background paper (UNHCR, 2004). The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada did the same in 1995 and 2006 4. No original publications with any scientific data on LGBT asylum-seekers and refugees from Belarus are available yet. The goal of this article is to set out legal considerations bearing upon the grouping of LGBT claimants and provide a review of the relevant material on the situation of LGBT people in Belarus. This article is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Neither can it be considered an exhaustive analysis. Some relevant legal considerations

Claims lodged by asylum seekers from Belarus fall generally into one of the following categories: claims by journalists, media workers and human rights defenders for having openly criticized the authorities; claims from political opponents whose political opinions are allegedly perceived as a threat by the authorities; those asylum-seekers who base their claim on the fact that they are draft evaders or deserters; and religious and sexual minorities (UNHCR, 2004). The UNHCR consistently recommends that all asylum-seekers, regardless of their origin, be given access to individual refugee status determination procedures, where available. This section sets out legal considerations bearing upon lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender claimants from Belarus. The UNHCRs Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees (Handbook) is an important source of guidance in this regard (UNHCR, 1992). Gender-related claims have typically encompassed, although are by no means limited to, acts of sexual violence, family/domestic violence, coerced family planning punishment for transgression of social mores, and discrimination against homosexuals. 5 Refugee claims based on differing sexual orientation contain a gender element. A claimants sexuality or sexual practices may be relevant to a refugee claim where he or she has been subject to persecutory (including discriminatory) action because

See Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. (2006). Belarus: Attitude towards homosexuals and lesbians in Belarus; state protection available to non-heterosexuals in Belarus with special attention to Minsk (2000 - 2005), (BLR100656.E). Ottawa: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, and Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. (1995). Belarus: Information on the treatment of homosexuals, (BYS19855.E). Ottawa: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. 5 UNHCR. (2002). Guidelines on International Protection: Gender-Related Persecution within the context of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees (UN doc. HCR/GIP/02/01), para. 3. Geneva: UNHCR.

of his or her sexuality or sexual practices. In many such cases, the claimant has refused to adhere to socially or culturally defined roles or expectations of behavior attributed to his or her sex. The most common claims involve lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people, who have faced extreme public hostility, violence, abuse, or severe or cumulative discrimination. 6 Even where same-sex practices are not criminalized, a claimant could still establish a valid claim where the State condones or tolerates discriminatory practices or harm perpetrated against him or her, or where the State is unable to protect effectively the claimant against such harm. 7 LGBT people fall within the definition of a particular social group. Sex has also been found to define a social group in that women are a clear example of a social subset defined by innate and immutable characteristics, and who are frequently treated differently than men. Their characteristics also identify them as a group in society, subjecting them to different treatment and standards in some countries. Equally, this definition would encompass LGBT people. 8 The Handbook, as well as number of states, has recognized both homosexuals and women as particular groups within the meaning of the 1951 Convention. 9

Overview of the situation of LGBT people in Belarus

Although homosexuality has not been a criminal offense in Belarus since 1994, homophobia is widespread and instances of harassment occur in all spheres of society (U.S. Department of State, 2011). Homophobic attitudes and prejudices are very strong. According to the results of a small scale (N = 287) survey conducted by Lambda Belarus in April 2002, 47% of Belarusian respondents think that gays should be imprisoned (Belarusian League for Sexual Equality (Lambda Belarus), 2003). According to Vitali Silitski of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS), 62% of Belarusians believe that homosexuals should be criminally persecuted. Silitski cited the results of the poll conducted by BISS and NOVAK in the beginning of 2010 10. In general, few LGBT persons openly declare their sexual orientation. While it is easier to openly live in the capital and largest city, Minsk, LGBT people living in other places, especially in small towns and in rural areas, can face discrimination by the local population. As some observers note, Belarusian
6 7

Ibid., para. 16. Ibid., para. 17. 8 Ibid., para. 30. 9 Ibid., paras. 18 and 19. 10 ILGA-Europe. (2011). Retrieved August 14, 2011, from http://ilgaeurope.org/home/guide/country_by_country/belarus/LGBT-in-Belarus-Developments-in-2010-2011.

society is conservative in this respect, with LGBT persons generally being socially stigmatized. Parents usually take a very unfavorable attitude towards homosexuality in their children and there have been cases of parents having to move on account of harassment from neighbors. 11 Negative statements about homosexuals by President Lukashenka in September 2004, December 2010 and February 2011 12 also demonstrate that homophobic attitudes exist at the highest levels of government (U.S. Department of State, 2005). According to Komsomolskaya Pravda v Byelorussii, April 6, 2005, Belarusian MP Viktar Kuchynski proposed there-criminalization of homosexuality. My position as a deputy is: all these queers and others are to be punished to the maximum, said Kuchynski at the parliamentary session during the discussion concerning the presidential decree On some measures of the prevention of human trafficking on April 4, 2005. According to Kuchynski, the Criminal Code should be amended, and the penalty for homosexuality ought to be re-introduced. However, this proposal was not supported by the parliament. According to Lambda Belarus reports, in April 1999, Russian Orthodox Church officials publicly called for the execution of gays (Bortnik, 2007). In May 2003, the European Humanities University in Minsk banned the screening of the documentary film Outlawed on discrimination of gays and lesbians in different parts of the world, 13 which had been planned as part of the Amnesty Film Festival, organized by Amnesty International Belarus at the university. According to the university staff, the ban came about due to pressure from the Russian Orthodox Church. The government-controlled media try to smear the political opposition by associating it with homosexuals. The media broadcast footage of a fake demonstration by a small group of sexual minorities at the opposition congress on October 2, 2004 along with comments of bystanders that gays are evil. Program announcers added commentary to the effect that homosexuality goes hand-inhand with Western paths to development (U.S. Department of State, 2006). In March 2002, the State
Danish Immigration Service. (2001). Fact-finding mission to Belarus (January 30 to February 7, 2001). Copenhagen: Danish Immigration Service. 12 In December 2010, addressing the All-Belarusian Peoples Assembly in Minsk, Lukashenka proclaimed that there are no sexual minorities in Belarus. On February 19, 2011, Lukashenka told the media that he condemned faggotism. Some great politicians, with both traditional and non-traditional sexual orientation, came to us. I was blamed for condemning this faggotism. Well, I dont like gays, so I said that I didnt like them. You see, certain foreign ministers took offense at me. But why should they take offense? Lukashenka said this to journalists with respect to a visit by German foreign minister Westerwelle and Polish foreign minister Sikorski in autumn 2010. I said that honestly to his [meaning Westerwelle who is openly gay] face. One should live a normal life, he added. According to Lukashenka, Its possible in Germany and in Poland, so let them do it in these countries. We do not need this here, added Belarusian president admitting, Unfortunately, we have enough of this here, too. 13 Outlawed was produced by Amnesty International Dutch Section in 1998 and tells the stories of lesbians and gay men in five countries (India, Nicaragua, South Africa, Romania and the USA) and is an excellent tool for raising awareness about discrimination and LGBT activism across cultures.
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Press Committee annulled the registration of the only Belarusian publication for sexual minorities, Forum Lambda (Human Rights Watch, 2002). In December 2010, the state-owned TV Channel 1 showed a documentary about one of the presidential candidates. His headquarters was pictured as a gang of homosexuals, pedophiles, drug dealers and cons. In 2010, two more journalists had been added to the Black List of Belarusian Homophobes conducted by GayBelarus. Yuri Bestvitski of the pro-governmental Respublika published an article full of homophobic remarks just before the Slavic Pride in May 2010. Vasily Semashko of independent news agency BelaPAN used his media accreditation to find out about the starting point of a gay march that was kept in secret to avoid clashes with neo-fascist groups. He threw eggs at the participants of the march and verbally assaulted them. Three foreign diplomats were expelled from the country on the pretext of their sexual orientation in the period between October 2004 and August 2006. According to the reports of the International Lesbian and Gay Association, the first case was the expulsion of the Second Secretary of the German Embassy on a false pretext of drug use in October 2004, while his Ukrainian boyfriend was arrested. 14 The story was commented on at length on government-controlled national TV with a lot of homophobic rhetoric. According to Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, January 25, 2005, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry expelled the Czech diplomat Pavel Krivohlavy, accusing him of depraving minors and inciting them to antisocial behavior.15 To put it plainly, Czech diplomat Pavel Krivohlavy made juvenile boys drunk in order to subsequently try to drag them into bed, Belarusian TV alleged. 16 The networks main news program Panarama on January 21, 2005 broadcast secretly recorded footage showing Krivohlavy purportedly drinking alcohol and kissing young men in what appeared to be a caf or a restaurant. Youll certainly agree that our neighbors understanding of democracy is peculiar: intoxication of youths, debauchery, and pornography. Do they have the moral rightthey who are spreading the worst, vile predilections in our countryto teach us how to live? Belarusian TV commented in Panarama. In July 2006, Minsk police accused Reimo Smits, a former Latvian diplomat in Belarus, of distributing pornography. Scenes of a homosexual act involving the diplomat were also broadcast on TV. 17
International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA). (2005). Retrieved August 14, 2011, from http://www.ilga.org/news_results.asp?LanguageID=1&FileCategory=9&FileID=491. 15 Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). (2005). Retrieved August 14, 2011, from http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/01/83701c0a-3289-404c-8677-10e1c72070ad.html. 16 Ibid. 17 Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). (2006). Retrieved August 14, 2011, from http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2006/08/3-cee/cee-010806.asp.
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Most Belarusian LGBT organizations have never been registered by the state and operate illegally. 18 In April 1999, the Ministry of Justice blocked efforts by Lambda Belarus, the countrys first and only lesbian and gay rights organization at that time, to gain official registration as an NGO. The Ministry cited technical reasons, although Lambda Belarus members claimed the authorities were seeking to deny registration of a gay and lesbian organization (U.S. Department of State, 2001). Members of LGBT groups have been targeted as hate crime victims many times. For instance, on November 13, 2001, Edward Tarletski, the leader of Lambda Belarus, was physically assaulted in Molodechno, which resulted in a brain concussion and a week of hospitalization. The police refused to take action in connection with the assault stating only that it was impossible to find the perpetrators (Lambda Belarus, 2003). Belarusian LGBT groups also do not receive civil society support. In July 2001, the Organizing Committee of the 1st Belarusian Youth Congress voted against the participation of Lambda Belarus delegates. In March 2002, several Belarusian media outlets published a press release of the Young Front, one of the biggest youth groups in the country, which contained homophobic statements about gays. Pavel Severinetz, the leader of the Young Front, called homosexuality a sin and perversion deserving death. According to Severinetz, the existence of homosexuals is the result of decay and sinfulness in the world (Bortnik, 2007). On May 17, 2010, members of the Young Front and the Right Alliance attempted to disturb Music for Love, a concert organized by Belarusian LGBT activists to commemorate the International Day against Homophobia. The vague wording of the amendments to the Criminal Code adopted on December 15, 2005 provides wide discretionary powers to the authorities allowing them to label activities of LGB groups as illegal attempts to discredit or harm the Belarusian state. 19 Criminal persecution has been introduced for the coordination of activities by an association or a foundation which has been suspended or liquidated (Article 193-1). Bearing in mind that most Belarusian LGBT groups do not have any legal status, anyone who organizes such activities may face a fine and six months imprisonment, and in vaguely defined serious cases they can be subjected to a restriction of freedom for up to two years. The regulation makes education or other forms of preparation for mass demonstrations, or financing such actions illegal, and punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, or a restriction of freedom for up to three years (Article 293-1). Training or preparation of people for participation in group activities which grossly violate public order, as well as the financing or material support of such activity, can also lead
There is only one exception. The gay group Vstrecha was registered as a nationwide youth HIV-prevention NGO. Their target audience consists of men having sex with men (MSM). They constantly experience resistance from the side of the state while trying to address needs within the organizations mission. 19 Law of the Republic of Belarus, no. 71-Z, December 15, 2005.
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to a jail term of up to two years (Article 342). Article 369-1 on discrediting the Republic of Belarus punishes those who provide false information to a foreign government or organization, which is interpreted to misrepresent the political, economic, social, military or international situation of Belarus, its government agencies or the legal situation of its citizens. Such actions are punishable by six months in jail, or a restriction of freedom for up to two years. Since 1999, all LGBT events, with only one exception, 20 have been banned by the government and attacked by the police. On November 8, 2006, police raided the apartment of the author of this article in Homiel where LGBT activists gathered to discuss the organization of an international LGBT Conference scheduled for November 10. Police seized conference materials and detained members for questioning at a police station. Four activists were released; three remained in detention overnight. The conference was subsequently canceled (U.S. State Department, 2007). The restrictive Law on Mass Actions limits freedom of assembly and expression. The law requires demonstrators to apply for permission to local authorities and stipulates that public events cannot take place within 200 meters of underground stations and pedestrian crossings. It also requires organizers to take responsibility for public safety measures, as well as measures connected with medical services and cleaning up after the action, all of which they need to finance. As a result of these provisions, many applications were turned down. In 2008, in Homiel and Minsk, LGBT groups applied for permission to hold small street actions, but were refused permission by the city administrations. The Minsk activists were told that their action would block traffic. The Homiel activists were told that they had not proved that they would provide adequate medical assistance or stewarding for the event, or that they would clean up afterwards, although they had demonstrated this in their application. 12 February 12, 2009, an application by a group of 20 people to hold a small public awareness action about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues was refused by the Homiel city administration. They said that the application did not include copies of contracts with the local police department, the health clinic and the waste disposal services to cover the expenses of ensuring public order, safety and for cleaning up after the action. The Homiel District Court held that the application had been refused in accordance with the Law on Public Events and turned down the appeal (Amnesty International (AI), 2009, 2010). On May 8, 2010, the Minsk City Executive Committee refused permission for a march to

On February 14, 2011, activists of IDAHO Belarus held the first public event authorized by city authorities in Minsk in the last 12 years. The action which took place in the park near the Ministry of Justice aimed to condemn homophobia and to call for equal rights for gays and lesbians. No incidents were reported during the rally which was protected by several police officers and covered by two dozen journalists.

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celebrate Slavic Pride21 on 15 May 15 because the proposed route was within 200 meters of underground stations and pedestrian crossings. A group of demonstrators organized a march on that day regardless of the ban. Eight of the demonstrators were detained over the weekend and five of them were charged with taking part in an unauthorized demonstration and fined (AI, 2011). International organizations including Amnesty International and ILGA-Europe condemned the governmental ban of Slavic Pride. On June 21, 2010, LGBT activists Syarhey Androsenka and Syarhey Pradzed filed individual communications to the UN Human Rights Committee complaining about earlier fines. In December 2009, a court in Minsk fined LGBT community activist Alyaksandr Haharyn 105,000 rubles ($35), Androsenka 875,000 rubles ($290), and Pradzed 350,000 rubles ($115) for participating in an unsanctioned protest in front of the Iranian embassy. The activists demonstrated to protest the use of capital punishment against LGBT persons in Iran. The Minsk City Court and the Supreme Court subsequently upheld these fines. On October 11, 2010, police in Minsk arrested Pradzed for staging a one-man protest to mark International Coming-Out Day. He was held in custody overnight and fined 700,000 rubles ($235) the next day (U.S. Department of State, 2011). Findings of the author of this article conclude that hate crimes, violence and harassment are particularly important issues for LGBT people in Belarus (Bortnik, 2007). Homophobia and prejudice in society force LGBT people to conceal their identity in everyday life to avoid unfavorable treatment. The lack of information on hate crimes against LGBT people makes it impossible to assess how widespread the phenomenon is nationally. The only sources of information on this issue are NGO and media reports. From January 2001 through June 2003, activists of the human rights advocacy program of Lambda Belarus documented at least 33 cases of hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity. They mostly received information through interviewing victims and their families, witnesses to hate crimes and local human rights activists. They also monitored newspapers, websites and other media outlets. In the following I will provide examples of hate crimes featured in an unpublished report of Lambda Belarus issued in July 2003 (Lambda Belarus, 2003). Between 2001 and 2003 hate crimes resulting in the murder of gay men were reported six times by Lambda Belarus:

Slavic Pride was established in autumn 2008 to bring together the members of the LGBT communities of Belarus and Russia. The first Slavic Pride march was scheduled to be held in Moscow on May 16, 2009, but was also banned.

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On April 18, 2001, the dead body of pensioner Alexander Stephanovich, an openly gay man in Minsk was found in the backyard of the apartment block where he lived. His body had knife stab wounds all over. On July 4, 2001, Ivan Sushinsky, former director of Minsks gay club Oscar died in the hospital after a violent assault by homophobic thugs. Mr. Sushinsky was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. He had a head injury, there were knife-shape burns on his body, and his hands and legs were tied with adhesive tape. The police department of Minsks Sovetski district started an investigation into the case, but the perpetrators have never been found. On February 15, 2002, the dead body of Victor Kovyl, 34, was found in his parents apartment in Zhlobin. He was openly gay both at work and in public. The police refused to give the details of the murder to Kovyls partner, Alexander, and one of the officers said to him: It serves you right, faggots! On November 17, 2002, the mutilated body of Mikhail M., 50, was found in his flat in Minsk. According to the police, this was the fifth murder of this kind committed in the capital during the last two years. There were also two reports of rapes being perpetrated against gay men: 22

In the night of May 16, 2001, Andrei Babkin, an activist of Lambda was badly beaten and raped by the entrance of his apartment and subsequently was taken to a hospital with severe injuries. Later, on August 3, 2001, unidentified person(s) broke into and vandalized his apartment where fliers, posters and booklets of the Gay Pride Festival had been kept. On June 10, 2002, three unidentified men severely beat and raped a local resident Dmitri L., 18, in Komunar. The victim was taken to the intensive care ward of the Homiel regional hospital where he spent 2 weeks.

The Criminal Code in force at the moment in Belarus was passed in 1999. The only homosexual acts that remain crimes are those that violate the consent of the sexual partner. The crimes of homosexuality are covered in Chapter 20 (Section VII) that is dedicated to crimes against sexual inviolability or sexual freedom. Article 167 covers forced actions of a sexual character. It states that Muzhelozhstvo [specific Russian definition of male sexual intercourse with male, literally man lying with man], lesbianism or other actions of a sexual character committed by use of force or threat thereof against the victim, or by exploiting the victims vulnerability, are punished by deprivation of freedom from three to seven years. The age of legally relevant consent for participation in sexual acts is equal for homosexuals and heterosexuals16 years old.

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Aggravated assault took place in 13 cases:

On 12 April 2002, the verbal assault and beating of the two gay and one bisexual man took place outside a gay club Babylon in Minsk. According to witnesses a group of skinheads (around 12 young men) who attacked three visitors of the club ran away before the police arrived.

Despite an apparent rise in reported homophobic attacks, in most cases police officers refused to take the complaint of a potential hate crime or failed to properly identify and investigate hate crimes. Additionally, a number of hate crime cases also involved police brutality against LGBT people:

On July 2, 2001, in Minsk the police detained and badly beat Andrei Scherbakov, one of the founders of Lambda Belarus. On March 29, 2003, the security guard of the Buda-Bar nightclub in Minsk heavily beat Yuliya Yukhnovetz, a volunteer for the Minsk Pride Festival, because she kissed a girl in the club hallway. She was taken to a hospital where she was diagnosed with a closed injury of the cranium.

The Lambda Belarus report featured cases of simple assault (1 case), threats (2), burglary (1), destruction of property (1), civil rights violations (5), and dissemination of hate material (2), as well. The report emphasized that victims of hate crimes have likewise included those, not necessarily LGBT people themselves, who are taking action against human rights violations and discrimination motivated by homophobia. Most LGBT victims of violence find access to legal redress and reparation difficult, if not impossible. Impunity and indifference habitually surround many acts of violence against LGBT people. According to the list of diseases adopted by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Defense, homosexuality along with transsexuality, pedophilia, etc. is classified as a personality disorder of moderate degree. As a result, homosexuals may not serve in the army during peacetime but may be enlisted in wartime as partially able.23 Only people with the official diagnosis of transsexualism (or sex denial syndrome) are eligible for passport and biological sex change. A special interdepartmental commission makes decisions on passport sex change, hormonal therapy, and sex reassignment surgery. The commission consists of at least 16 leading specialists from the ministries of health, defense, internal affairs, justice, and education.
23

Order of the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, no. 369/173, June 12, 1998.

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It takes at least one year from the day of initial appointment with the secretary of the commission, who serves as a sexologist, and the day of the meeting regarding the passport sex change decision. In the case of a positive decision, the person will receive a new passport, and six months later can apply for authorization of his or her hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgery. At the time of the first appointment with the secretary of the commission, a person who wants to change his or her biological sex should be at least 21 years of age. People with serious deformation of social adaptation, such as the homeless or unemployed, homosexuals and cross-dressers, people who have their own biological children, and married people are not eligible for sex changes. 24 Although the majority of transsexuals manage to create families, hold down a permanent job, and advance in their careers, Belarusian society at large does not tolerate openly transsexual or transgendered people. Besides experiencing hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery, they are forced to change their entire lives their names and surnames, their professions, their place of residence, or even their citizenship status (Bortnik, 2009). The currently effective legislation provides no protection to victims in cases of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity (Bortnik, 2003). While the Belarusian Constitution forbids discrimination, sexual orientation is not on the list of social characteristics on which basis discrimination is legally prohibited. 25 Homophobia is not recognized as an independent motive for crimes, as Belarusian legislation contains no laws that refer specifically to perpetrators of crimes motivated by homophobia. Although many people live outside of marriage, domestic partnership/cohabitation does not lead to legal consequences for the purposes of inheritance, parental rights (with the exception of the process of adoption), alimonies, etc. 26

Conclusions

The claims of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons from Belarus are most likely to raise issues calling for careful analysis vis--vis factors which have been held to qualify for meeting refugee status under the 1951 Geneva Convention criteria. However, sexual orientation would in itself not suffice to substantiate any claim of refugee status.

Order of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, no. 14, June 10, 2005. Article 22 of the Constitution: All shall be equal before the law and entitled without discrimination to equal protection of their rights and legitimate interests. 26 Amnesty International Belarus. (2002). Belarusian Legislation about Homosexuals. Gomel: Amnesty International Belarus.
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