Buenos Aires, Oct 21 (IANS/EFE): The Argentine government has granted the "condition of refugee" to a young Russian gay who escaped from his country where he was the victim of discrimination and violence due to his sexual orientation.

This is something the South American country had never done before, the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals (FALGBT) told Spanish news agency EFE.

Argentina's National Refugee Commission accepted the petition after acknowledging in a report the harassment suffered by the 28-year-old man and the lack of government protection for sexual minorities in Russia.

The young man, named 'Gene' in the report to protect his privacy, left his homeland because of the constant harassment he was subjected to, and two years ago asked the FALGBT for help through a contact he met on a social network.

"We hope that starting with this first case, Argentina will be positioned as a refugee destination," FALGBT president Esteban Paulon, who took Gene's case to the government commission, told EFE.