The Belarusian Council of the Republic, the upper chamber of the country’s National Assembly, has approved a bill introducing legal liability for those found guilty of engaging in the “propaganda of homosexual relations, sex change, and childlessness,” according to a report by the state news agency BELTA.
Andrei Matelsky, director of the Belarusian government’s National Center of Legislation and Legal Information, said the document would create new categories of administrative offenses, including those linked to the “propaganda” of homosexuality, transgender identity, childlessness, and pedophilia. The report did not specify the penalties.
More broadly, the bill adds nine new articles to the country’s administrative code and introduces 43 new categories of offenses. It also makes dozens of amendments to existing provisions and revises some penalties, regulating a wide range of areas, from the circulation of digital tokens and mobile communications requirements to the use of official vehicles and participation in international events.
The bill also provides for lighter liability in some cases. For example, legal entities may be exempted from punishment if violations are quickly corrected. Other changes concern the prevention of offenses among minors and the expansion of expedited procedures for reviewing administrative cases.
