Belarusian President Signs Law Introducing Fines for “LGBT and Childfree Propaganda”

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed, according to Mediazona Belarus, the law “On Amendments to Codes on Administrative Liability.” The document introduces penalties for so-called “propaganda of homosexual relations, gender transition, childfree lifestyles, and pedophilia.”

According to Belarusian state and independent media citing official materials, a separate article is being added to the Code of Administrative Offenses for distributing information that forms an idea of the “attractiveness” of these phenomena. For individuals, the penalty is a fine of up to 20 base units. If minors can access such information, the punishment increases to a fine of 20 to 30 base units, community service, or administrative arrest.

The bill moved through parliament in stages: it passed second reading in the House of Representatives on 13 March, was approved by the Council of the Republic on 2 April, and was then sent to the president for signature.

The wording places “homosexual relations,” “gender transition,” “childfree lifestyles,” and “pedophilia” in one list. The law is part of a broader package of amendments to Belarus’s administrative legislation.