The law ‘On Amending the Codes of Administrative Liability’ introduces, among other things, penalties of fines and arrest for anything deemed ‘propaganda’ of homosexuality, gender reassignment, and childlessness. The law amends 150 articles of the codes in one package.

16.04.2026

Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed the law ‘On Amendments to the Codes of Administrative Liability’, the anonymous Telegram channel «Pool Pervogo,» which serves as Lukashenka’s press service, reported on April 15.

The law is the first major amendment to these codes in five years: 150 articles are amended in a single package. Among the changes are a separate chapter on the procedure for «educational measures» among adolescents; expanded grounds for exemption from liability (such as for compensation for environmental damage or correction of errors in documents); the introduction of electronic complaints against officials and the possibility of hearing cases in absentia upon written petition.

The law introduces administrative liability for a number of new violations, including illegal transactions with digital signs, violation of cellular coverage requirements, failure to comply with the procedure for purchasing official vehicles, and more.

The full text of the law has not yet been published. However, its contents are known from previous stages of the law’s approval process. On July 8, 2025, the government submitted the bill to the House of Representatives, which approved it on March 13, 2026, and the Council of the Republic approved it on April 2.

One of the most notable innovations is the article on ‘propaganda of homosexual relations, gender reassignment, childlessness, and pedophilia’. The law defines this as ‘the dissemination of information in any form aimed at forming in citizens the idea that homosexual relations, gender reassignment, childlessness, or the acceptance of pedophilia are attractive’.

Fines of up to 20 basic units (currently up to 900 rubles) are provided for this violation for individuals, up to 100 (up to 4,500 rubles) for sole proprietors, and up to 150 (up to 6,750 rubles) for legal entities. If such information is accessible to minors, the punishment is harsher: community service or administrative arrest are possible.

The idea of ​​lumping together LGBT, gender reassignment, pedophilia, and childfree — which are very different phenomena — comes from the Prosecutor General’s Office. The idea of ​​punishing ‘LGBT propaganda’ likely came to Belarus from Russia. There, in 2013, they initially banned ‘propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors’, and in 2022, the ban was expanded to all audiences. As a result, even mentioning the existence of LGBT people has become punishable.

Belarus appears to be introducing a similarly vague formulation, which could penalise ‘fostering a positive attitude’ not only toward LGBT people, but also gender reassignment and the conscientious refusal to have children.

Even before Lukashenka signed the law, United Nations experts expressed concern about the proposed prosecution for such ‘propaganda.’ The experts emphasised that the legislation is misleading by linking legitimate expression of opinion with criminal offences such as paedophilia, thereby reinforcing stigma and hostility. They warned that the law’s vague and overly broad wording could lead to arbitrary application and a further narrowing of civic space. The experts pointed out that this is prohibited by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (which the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic signed and ratified, but Belarus denounced the Optional Protocol to the Covenant in 2022, which allowed for complaints of violations to the UN Human Rights Committee).

Source: https://en.belsat.eu/92684712/lukashenka-signs-law-imposing-fines-for-lgbt-rights-and-related-issues