Subject: ROMANIA:Senate vs. Civil Society
From: International Gay Lesbian Human Rights Commission <[email-masked]>
Date: 08 Feb 94 09:37 PST

INTERNATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

514 Castro Street,

San Francisco, California 94114

USA

Tel. 415.255.8680

Fax 415.255.8662

Urgent Press Release

February 7, 1994 Contact:  Jorge Cortinas,  (415) 255-8680

Romania Keeps Anti-Gay Laws -- Fails to Satisfy Human Rights
Groups

	The Romanian Senate failed to dispel criticisms of its
	draconian anti-gay laws when it moved last week to
	legalize only those gay and lesbian relations that do not
	cause "public scandal". Instead, human rights and lesbian
	and gay advocates called the newest legislation "a
	cosmetic change to the same repressive status quo,"
	according to a statement issued today by the International
	Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC).  For the
	last year Romania has been strongly criticized by human
	rights and lesbian and gay  advocates for its total ban on
	lesbian and gay sex. The efforts of advoactes were boosted
	when the Council of Europe approved a resolution last
	September calling on Romania to repeal its sodomy law. The
	change in language approved by the Senate is largely seen
	as an attempt to comply with that Council of Europe
	resolution.  Under the current Romanian penal code,
	Article 200, paragraph 1, imposes a total ban on lesbian
	and gay relations with a prison sentence of 1 to 5 years
	for any gay or lesbian sexual relationship. The modified
	version passed by the Senate last week outlaws sexual
	relations between persons of the same gender "if they
	cause public scandal." Paragraph 5 punishes with 1-5 years
	in prison any attempt to publicly or privately promote
	homosexuality, a new prohibition that could lead to prison
	terms for those involved in gay publications and
	organizations.  "Romania seems intent on pursuing the
	narrowest interpretation of very clear directives from the
	Council of Europe, satisfying the letter of those requests
	but still maintaining the same repressive status quo,"
	said Jorge Cortinas, Program Director with the
	International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
	(IGLHRC). "This cynical maneuver would leave unchanged
	Romania's juridical persecution of gay people".  In other
	actions, the Romanian senate passed a law punishing with
	1-5 years in prison anyone found guilty of defaming
	Romania. The Senate also considered two separate
	government proposes to jail journalists who insult public
	figures, and require all Romanian nationals to register
	with the police any foreigner who spends more then twelve
	hours in their home. The last measure was especially
	striking because it echoes one of the previous regimes
	most resented laws, dictator Ceausecu's requirement that
	all contact with foreigners be reported to authorities.
	Lesbian and gay activists maintained that the move to
	outlaw public discussion of homosexuality should be viewed
	in the broader context of the newest authoritarian
	measures. "This is part and parcel of a campaign by an
	increasingly authoritarian government against liberties
	basic to democratic society" said Scott Long, an IGLHRC
	representative based in Cluj, Romania.  "It's not just
	gays and lesbians who are at risk in Romania now. The
	government is trying to restrict freedoms of speech and
	assembly for every social group." The legislation passed
	by the Romanian Senate is now forwarded to the Chamber of
	Deputies where it is also expected to be approved.
	According to Long, the arrest, prosecution, torture and
	harassment of gay Romanians has continued unabated since
	President Ceausescu's regime.  At least 57 persons are
	thought to be currently incarcerated for reportedly
	engaging in consensual sex acts with adults of the same
	gender.

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