The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

Aliaksei Kulik, activist of the Belarusian LGBT community, was searched by the customs officials while returning from Ukraine this morning.

Siarhei Androsenka, activist of the GayBelarus LGBT human rights movement, was detained at the Hudahai border check point while returning from Vilnius by train. His personal belongings were carefully examined.

The "Human Rights Center "Lambda" (the name under which the human rights project "GayBelarus" is trying to legalize its activities) was denied the state registration by a letter of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus dated 8 February 2013. The document was signed by the head of the board of non-profit organizations, Alena Kirychenka.

About ten policemen in mufti have held another "check-up" in the Minsk club "6A" this month. The passport data of all present people were put down. About 40 of them were detained for identification and guarded to the police department.

In the night of 12-13 January the police raided an LGBT-party of the human rights project "GayBelarus" in the "21st century" nightclub in Vitsebsk. At about 0.20 a.m. riot police assaulted the club. All participants of the party were lined up facing the wall – males on one side of the corridor, females – on the other.

Belarusian mass media remain too conservative in covering LGBT-related issues, says a recent report by an information group that has conducted a monitoring of the country’s media over the past year.

On 6 April it became known that Minsk City Executive Committee rejected the application of Aliaksei Kulik, activist of the human rights project "GayBelarus" Aliaksei Kulik for holding a picket "Day of Silence: We keep silent to be heard". LGBT activists intended to hold a picket near houses #8-10 in Mayakouski Street.