Public scandals : sexual orientation and criminal law in Romania : a report

Today in Romania, gays and lesbians are routinely denied some of the most basic human rights guaranteed by international law. Despite recent amendments to the criminal code provisions relating to homosexual conduct, gays and lesbians continue to be arrested and convicted if their sexual relations become public knowledge. They face frequent physical abuse and harassment by law enforcement officials, as well as systematic discrimination in many walks of life. In 1996, for example, Gabriel Presnac and Radu Vasiliu were beaten brutally by police and now face five years' imprisonment for kissing and holding hands in a public place. Romanian law not only prohibits private sexual acts between consenting adults of the same sex, but may also be interpreted to punish speech and association that expresses a homosexual identity: in one case, Mariana Cetiner was arrested and now serves a three-year prison term for merely asking another woman to have sexual relations with her.