BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

19/12/2006

Belarus Denies Arrest and Detention of Gay Activists Last Month

Ambassador Tells MEP It Was "Black PR-Campaign"

BRUSSELS and MINSK, December 19, 2006 - The Belarus Ambassador to Belgium, Vladimir Senko, has denied that any gay activists were detained last month in the run-up to the International Conference on LGBT Culture and Human Rights in Minsk.

He was replying to a letter send at the end of last month by German MEP Lissy Groner requesting more information.

"The facts evidence that what actually took place was a so-called black PR-campaign, organised by one of the LGBT union of Belarus in order to attract the public's attention," Ambassador wrote to Ms. Groner.

"Moreover, according to the unofficial statement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus not a single LGBT activist has been detained in November - December of this year," he wrote.

The letter, written on December 8 and released today by the European Parliament's Gay and Lesbian Rights Intergroup, can be seen below.

In Minsk, gays dismissed what the Ambassador wrote.

"We expect this answer of Belarusian authorities," said one gay activist in an email. "They lie everyday and they lie in this letter as well."

Because of the arrests and detention of up to 22 hours on the eve of the conference, it was decided to postpone the conference until April.

But TEMA, the LGBT information centre in Minsk are concerned that the Belarus authorities will again prevent this from happening.

"That's why we decided to hold the Belarusian LGBT Conference 'in exile' during Moscow Pride 2007 conference," a TEMA spokesman revealed today..

"The decision was made for the security of participants - and it is easier for international participants get a Russian visa than one for Belarus."

It was during the PES/LIBE/FEMM joint conference 'Fundamental Rights for LGBT People: The European Union Role' at the European Parliament in November that the news of the arrests in Belarus came through.

The LGBT Intergroup immediately asked Intergroup member Ms. Groner to take the lead in contacting the Belarus authorities.

Source:

http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/2006dec/1902.htm