Belarus seeks to copy neighboring Russia’s repressive LGBTQ+ policies, activists say

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus is cracking down on its LGBTQ+ community, detaining and beating nearly three dozen of them in the last three months. Authorities also are weighing repressive measures to ban “gay propaganda,” similar to laws passed in recent years in close ally Russia under President Vladimir Putin. One activist says Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko uses repression against the LGBTQ+ community to shore up support among more conservative members of his population and win praise from Russia. Some who have been beaten during raids say security forces demanded that they give the names of gay friends in their smartphones to help police create a database.