Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko: 'Better To Be A Dictator Than Gay'

BERLIN, March 4 (Reuters) - Belarussia's Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday criticised EU politicians who have threatened him with further sanctions and in an apparent reposte to the German Foreign Minister's branding him "Europe's last dictator", said: "Better to be a dictator than gay."

Guido Westerwelle is Germany's first openly gay minister.

European Union leaders at a summit in Brussels on Friday called for new measures to pressure the Belarus President, in power since 1994, over alleged human rights abuses.

Lukashenko said Belarus would give a strong reaction to any sanctions, according to local news agency Belta.

"This is absolute hysteria," Belta reported him as saying. "And as you can see, at the forefront there are two types of politicians ... one lives in Warsaw, another in Berlin."

"Whoever was shouting about dictatorship there ... when I heard that, I thought: it's better to be a dictator than gay."

European leaders said any new sanctions should target those in Belarus who are responsible for human rights violations and repression of civil society, as well as people supporting Lukashenko's government or benefitting from it.

Poland, Belarus's direct neighbour, has played a leading role in formulating EU policy towards Minsk - often drawing fire from Belarus for doing so.

The call for sanctions followed a diplomatic spat between the EU and Belarus last week, when EU pressure on Minsk escalated into tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions.

Belarus expelled the EU ambassador in Minsk and recalled its own envoy from Brussels after the EU imposed sanctions on 21 Belarussian judges and police officers. In response, the bloc's 27 capitals agreed to temporarily withdraw their own ambassadors.

Lukashenko has criticised homosexuality in the past. Last year he said he "did not like gays". (Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Moscow; Editing by Ben Harding)

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• Robert Mugabe

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Comments

[Mystic Cult]

01:03 PM on 03/07/2012

Maybe the EU needs to stop being world dictators by committee

[dresdengirl]

12:52 PM on 03/06/2012

Somebody should point out to that little twit, that you can choose to be a Dictator, but nobody in their right mind would choose to be gay.

[Mystic Cult]

01:06 PM on 03/07/2012

Gays could chose to be asexual and not engage in sexual relations with their own gender. Those who consider themselves bi-sexual could just chose to be with the correct gender and let it go at that. We all have choices: and that is the choice to act or not on something that is an urge or desire

[revjoseywales]

11:32 AM on 03/06/2012

The next GOPTP "flavor of the month"?

[Mark Anhalt]

11:23 AM on 03/06/2012

At least he admitted he is a dictator.

[westreal]

10:38 AM on 03/06/2012

It's amazing how innocent, handsome and completely unimpressive these dictators started out as.

I guess as you gain power it corrupts you.

[frankcaprafan]

11:50 PM on 03/05/2012

The slideshow overlooked the unscrupulous opportunist, General Aladeen.

[Daniel Alman]

11:48 PM on 03/05/2012

Its true...

[Unindoctrinated]

10:47 PM on 03/05/2012

He's a dinosaur and his uninformed bigotry will mostly die out with his generation.

[dresdengirl]

12:53 PM on 03/06/2012

I hope you're right.

[mamacat]

10:32 PM on 03/05/2012

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,819458,00.html

An article from Germany about their reaction.

[brklynivn]

10:18 PM on 03/05/2012

He's done more gay rights in Belarus than 1000 activists could ever possibly dream of.

[sf1000000]

09:24 PM on 03/05/2012

Well I would rather be GAY than a dictator...Dictators have a tendency to end up in front of firing squads...or hiding in holes...but then end up dead..dead is not good..gay and alive is better...
Oh and then after they kill you...they display your body in a meat locker and..well..not pretty..people spitting on you and taking your picture...nah gay alive and having a good life is better...

[mamacat]

10:38 PM on 03/05/2012

I find it disturbing that he goes by the title "president". Why doesn't he just go by the title "dictator", or "fuerher", or something, but the title "president" should be reserved for democracies.

[messy]

09:34 AM on 03/06/2012

Hey, it's cheaper than being Emperor.....

[Mystic Cult]

01:01 PM on 03/07/2012

You mean like the first 16 Presidents of the US where up to 1/4 of the population was enslaved and had no rights, and the next hundred years up to President #35 where that population barely had any rights?

[dresdengirl]

12:57 PM on 03/06/2012

Love your micro-bio.
f/f

[Contact1972]

08:42 PM on 03/05/2012

Ah to be a gay dictator!

I would make Sunday brunch(which I love)mandatory.

Every citizen would be treated equally under the law.

Tom Ford would be on the flag;-)

[sf1000000]

09:26 PM on 03/05/2012

Actually, might be fun...as long as no one is trying to shoot you !!

[Contact1972]

02:34 PM on 03/06/2012

Who would shoot a dictator who makes brunch mandatory;-)

[hungryaardvark]

08:41 PM on 03/05/2012

He's just parroting what Santorum told him to say.

[David Moore]

08:39 PM on 03/05/2012

Mr. Lukashenko, are you upset with Mr. Westerwelle? Did he stop returning your phone calls? Did he stop sending you flowers and candies for Valentine's Day? Is it Vlad Putin, perhaps? Have you got a thing for Russian presidents, instead of Foreign Ministers? It's ok, you are among friends here, Mr. Lukashenko. We don't judge quite the way you do.

[esosa233]

08:18 PM on 03/05/2012

Lol I dunno I rather be a dictator than gay too, I mean on one hand you have infinite power over the oppressed, on the other you have infinite subjugation and prejudice against you. Your totally right, no contest.