At least eight transgender people have been arrested and around a dozen others were detained in Belarus since August, the transgender support organization TG House Belarus told RFE/RL on September 26.
According to a representative of TG House Belarus, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the crackdown on the LGBT community began in late August and intensified in early September. The source estimated that 15-20 LGBT individuals were arrested during this period.
The organization confirmed that at least eight transgender people were among those detained, most of whom were charged with hooliganism. Additionally, two people face criminal charges for dissemination of pornography.
The arrests occurred in several cities across Belarus. Detainees were often subjected to beatings, psychological pressure, and verbal abuse, according to the TG House Belarus representative.
Several individuals have since fled Belarus due to the escalating persecution.
"We believe this is connected to the preparation of an LGBT propaganda law that is likely to be passed soon and is currently under review," the TG House Belarus representative said.
"The groundwork for this was laid earlier in April when the Ministry of Culture passed a resolution classifying any LGBT expressions as pornography."
The legislation appears to mirror a move in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin's administration pushes what it claims are "traditional values."
In Belarus, homosexuality was decriminalized in 1994, but same-sex marriages are not recognized in the deeply conservative country and there are no antidiscriminatory measures in place to protect the rights of the LGBT community.
In 2023, the independent gay rights group ILGA-Europe said Belarus placed 45th out of 49 countries in its annual review of the human rights situation of LGBT people in Europe and Central Asia, noting that "pro-government propagandists regularly called for the persecution of LGBT activists and the closure of LGBT organisations."
