In Belarus, security forces are summoning gay men “for talks” and pressuring them to cooperate

Security forces in Belarus continue to crack down on members of the LGBTQ community. Police officers are calling gay men under false pretenses and asking them to come to the district police station as “witnesses,” a young man who went through a similar experience a few weeks ago told Euroradio. About this writes The Belarusian edition of euroradio.fm.

As soon as he arrives at the police station, they take his phone, read his messages, and connect his smartphone to a computer. If they find incriminating evidence, they pressure him to “cooperate,” which means identifying other members of the LGBTQ community in Belarus.

— I was shocked and surprised—I was prepared for anything, but not for this. I understood the country’s attitude toward the LGBTQ community, but it never occurred to me that someone could be lured into a police station for that reason. I was surprised—I mean, come on… that’s just f*cked up.

If you refuse, they threaten to out you—to reveal your sexual orientation to your family and coworkers.

It is known that security forces have been using this strategy since at least 2022.

If you do end up at the police station, our interviewee advises against keeping anything on your phone that could compromise you:

• Delete all photos that might indicate sexual orientation, especially those with erotic undertones.
• Clean up your social media. This includes unfollowing gay friends so as not to put them at risk.
• Ideally, you should have a spare phone so you can take it with you to the branch.

What should you do if the police call you and ask you to come to the station?

If you receive a call from the district police department asking you to come to the station under a flimsy pretext, you should at the very least ask the officer to identify himself, clarify the reason for the summons, where you are to go, at what time, and in what capacity—advises Alvina Mingazova — a Belarusian attorney and lawyer with the Free Belarus Center.

 — You can cite Article 216 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and request that a summons be issued. Please note that the victim, witness, and suspect are required to appear for questioning; if they fail to appear without a valid reason, they may be brought in by law enforcement officers pursuant to a reasoned order issued by the preliminary investigation authority, an investigator, or a prosecutor.

Alvina Mingazova explains that if a person isn't confident, they should go to the interrogation with a lawyer.

— To do this, make sure you have a lawyer lined up in advance. If you don’t have a specific lawyer recommended to you, you can find one on the brka.by website. The site lists phone numbers and information about lawyers; you can schedule a consultation and speak with a specialist beforehand to determine whether you feel comfortable communicating with them and whether you trust them before deciding whether to sign a contract.

The lawyer points out that there is a harmful practice in Belarus whereby an investigator may ask questions in such a way that they are directed against you personally. However, a witness is required to testify regarding the facts known to them.

 — If a question concerns your personal interests or could have negative consequences, it is appropriate to say: “I refuse to answer this question, exercising my right not to testify against myself, as enshrined in Article 27 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus.” This is a completely lawful position that does not imply an admission of guilt for any crime. On the contrary, it is not uncommon for a witness to have their status changed from witness to suspect (defendant) after questioning—not because they refused to testify, but because, when giving explanations without a defense attorney, under stressful conditions, and without paying attention to the wording, they unintentionally incriminate themselves, believing that, as a witness, they do not have the right to refuse to testify.

If you or someone you know has encountered a similar situation and would like to bring it to public attention, please contact us [email protected].