Skip to main content

Belarus passes law imposing fines for ‘propaganda’ of same-sex relations, ‘sex changes,’ and childlessness

Source: Белта

Belarus’s parliament has passed a law imposing administrative fines for the “propaganda of homosexual relations, sex changes, childlessness, and pedophilia,” the Belarusian state news agency Belta reported on April 2. The changes were introduced as amendments to the country’s administrative liability codes.

The law defines the offense as “the dissemination in any form of information aimed at forming in the public an impression of the attractiveness of homosexual relations, sex changes, childlessness, or the acceptability of pedophilia,” as clarified by Belsat.

Fines vary by category of offender. Individuals face penalties of up to 20 base units, or about 900 Belarusian rubles; sole proprietors face fines of up to 100 base units, or about 4,500 Belarusian rubles; and legal entities face fines of up to 150 base units, or about 6,750 Belarusian rubles.

If such content is made accessible to minors, the law allows for community service or administrative detention as punishment.

At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.

If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].

To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.