Russian bar workers arrested in first LGBT ‘extremism’ case
Two bar workers were arrested in Russia in the first criminal case of its kind against the LGBT community.
Pose bar’s administrator and art director had been accused by a Russian court of “promoting non-traditional sexual relations” among the venue’s visitors.
It followed a police raid in March in which videos of detentions of some of the club visitors were circulated online.
On Wednesday, the court ordered their arrest, accusing them of organising an “extremist organisation” under a law passed last year.
The November ruling by the supreme court asserted that the “LGBT movement” incited social and religious discord and that the “international LGBT movement” is an “extremist organisation”.
Writing on Telegram, the court said: “The accused, people of non-traditional sexual orientation, acted in premeditation with a group of people... who also support the views and activities of the international public association LGBT.”
They pair will remain in custody until May 18 and face up to 10 years in prison, according to the court in southwestern Russia.
Russia’s description of what it calls the “international LGBT movement” has drawn concern and condemnation from rights groups for its potential for indiscriminate prosecution.
Celebrities and socialites were forced to make apologies in December for holding what authorities claimed was a morally abject party in which attendees were scantily clad.
That same month Russia raided four gay nightclubs in Moscow, and more recently, in February, police dragged attendees from a party in Tula, 100 miles south of Moscow, out into the snow and beat them up over what they claimed was the dissemination of LGBT propaganda.
The Typography club was holding a night it described as promoting “love, openness and sexuality”. Though not advertised, overtly at least, as a gay night, authorities interpreted it as such and rushed to shut it down.
Ekaterina Mizulina, the head of Russia’s League of the Safe Internet group, which is pushing for the repressive laws, welcomed Wednesday’s ruling.
“This is the first criminal case in Russia after the decision of the supreme court to recognise LGBT as an extremist movement,” Ms Mizulina said.
She added that “local activists” told the police about the club, amid a climate of denunciations of dissident voices.
Amnesty International said that what LGBTQ persons and rights activists have “feared since the end of last year has finally come to pass”.
“The international community must call on Russian authorities to review the homophobic supreme court ruling and immediately stop persecution of LGBTI persons,” Amnesty said.
