Czechs Defend Arousal Testing of Gay Refugees

The Czech government rejected Wednesday EU criticism of its use of a test of the credibility of gay asylum seekers.

The Vienna-based European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights said the Czech Republic is the only known EU country to use so-called "phallometric testing." The method tests whether men seeking asylum on the grounds of homosexuality are sexually aroused by heterosexual pornographic material.

The Czech Interior Ministry said in a statement that the testing is conducted only after written consent had been obtained, and when it was not possible to use a different method of verification.

Ministry spokesman Pavel Novak said the testing has been carried out in fewer than 10 cases, always by a medical specialist, and was used on unreliable applicants from countries such as Iran, where homosexuality is grounds for harsh punishment.

Novak said all those who have passed the test have been granted asylum. He gave no further details.

The EU agency said in a report last month that the reliability of such tests is questionable because "it is dubious whether it reaches sufficiently clear conclusions."

It said the practice may violate the EU convention on human rights "since this procedure touches upon a most intimate part of an individual's private life."

The agency said there are better means available to test the credibility of such assertions, including interviews.