BEIRUT: A Lebanese man is seeking asylum in Australia for fear of being persecuted in Lebanon for his homosexuality, the sydney-based Herald Sun reported Thursday.

The man moved to Australia in 2008 after his marriage to an Australian woman, which fell apart after his wife discovered he was gay. He is now seeking asylum on the grounds that his wife told his family in Lebanon about his homosexuality, thereby putting him at risk.

A Refugee Review Tribunal said that sexual minorities are often targets in Lebanon.

"Despite the popular view that Lebanon is the gay-friendliest country in the Arab world, some activists say that behind closed doors, sexual minorities often suffer physical and psychological abuse," it found.

The tribunal also rejected the idea that if the man suppresses his homosexuality, he could return to Lebanon.

"The tribunal therefore finds that there is more than a remote chance that the applicant will encounter serious harm ... in the reasonably foreseeable future, should he return to Lebanon," the paper quoted the tribunal, which recommended the man for asylum after he was originally turned down, as saying.

The case will be reconsidered by the Immigration Minister before the final word on the asylum is made.