Romania: Reports of homosexuals having been subjected to arrest or detention; whether homosexual behaviour is punished; whether police harass homosexuals and to what extent (2005-2006)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa |
| Publication Date | 21 April 2006 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ROU100797.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Romania: Reports of homosexuals having been subjected to arrest or detention; whether homosexual behaviour is punished; whether police harass homosexuals and to what extent (2005-2006), 21 April 2006, ROU100797.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/45f1479a2f.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No reports of homosexuals having been arrested or detained for their sexual orientation could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, two non-governmental organizations provided reports on their respective Websites which detailed the treatment of homosexuals in detention (ACCEPT 8 Feb. 2005; APADOR-CH 2005). Country Reports 2005 stated that "[d]uring the 'march of diversity' gay parade held in Bucharest on May 29 [2005], an unidentified person assaulted an actor who was filming for his weekly show, mistaking him for a participant in the event" and that some members of the organization New Right, "an organization with extremist and xenophobic views," assaulted participants in the parade (8 Mar. 2006, Sec. 5). Country Reports 2005 also indicated that police violence and harassment towards homosexuals was common, and that few victims would report such actions because they believe authorities would be biased in their investigations and because they fear further harassment (ibid., Sec. 1.c, 5). No information on whether homosexual behaviour is punished could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
ACCEPT. 8 February 2005. Catalin Bulat and Dorelina Bellu. "Life and Death in Prison." Association for the Defence of Human Rights in Romania – The Helsinki Committee (APADOR-CH). 2005. The Penitentiary System in Romania: 1995 - 2004. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2005. 8 March 2006. "Romania." United States Department of State. Additional Sources Consulted
Internet sites, including: 365Gay.com, ACCEPT, Advocate.com, Amnesty International (AI), ARC International, Association for the Defence of Human Rights in Romania – The Helsinki Committee (APADOR-CH), Bucharest Daily News, The Diplomat – Bucharest, European Commission, Freedom House, Gay Times, GLBT World Wide News Digest, GlobalGayz.com, HotNews.ro, Human Rights Report (HRR), Human Rights Watch (HRW), International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), International Helsinki Federation, International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), International Lesbian and Gay Association – Europe (ILGA-Europe), Nine O'Clock, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), PlanetOut.com, Press Review On Line, Queer Resources Directory, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), RainbowNetwork.com, rainbowquery.com, Romanian Independent Society of Human Rights (SIRDO), United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR).
