The Supreme Court of Russia this Thursday banned LGBTI+ activism for extremism, in the most drastic measure against defenders of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in the country.
The verdict was communicated to the press by a judge after a closed-door hearing.
The ban will take effect immediately, the judge said, according to the French news agency AFP.
The decision covers the “international LGBTI+ movement” and all its branches in Russia.
In a statement submitted to the court in early November, the Ministry of Justice argued that authorities had identified “signs and manifestations of an extremist nature” of an LGBTI+ movement operating in Russia.
The Public Ministry referred to “incitement to social and religious discord,” but without providing details or evidence, according to the North American agency AP.
The court declared the movement extremist and banned it in Russia.
Several human rights activists drew attention to the fact that the lawsuit targets the “international LGBT civic movement,” which is not an entity.
This is a broad and vague definition that allows Russian authorities to crack down on any individual or group considered part of the “movement,” they argued.
The ILGA World federation had warned on Wednesday that LGBTI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) people could be considered extremists in Russia starting this Thursday.
The federation brings together 1,800 organizations that defend the rights of the LGBTI+ community.
Russian legislation was amended in 2022 to punish “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships and/or preferences or sex change,” expanding existing prohibitions for minors to content distributed even among adults, according to ILGA World.
Source: TSF
