The UN “deplored” this decision, stressing that “no one should be imprisoned for working in favor of human rights”.
The Russian Supreme Court on Thursday banned “extremism” movement “international” LGBT+, paving the way for legal proceedings and prison sentences against homosexuals and activists defending their rights in Russia.
This decision comes in the midst of an ultraconservative shift targeting LGBT+ people, with Russia now positioning itself as the standard bearer of values “traditional” in the face of Western decadence.
This policy has accelerated since the attack by the Russian army against Ukraine at the end of February 2022, which led to a repression targeting all forms of criticism of the Kremlin.
Judge Oleg Nefedov ordered “recognize as extremist the international LGBT movement and its subsidiaries, to ban their activities on the territory of the Russian Federation”according to AFP correspondents on site.
Mr. Nefedov clarified that this ban entered into “immediately” in force.
The hearing, the first in this case, lasted only a few hours and took place without a lawyer – no organization with this name exists in Russia – and behind closed doors, because the case was closed “secret”.
“Only a representative of the Russian Ministry of Justice is participating in the hearing, no one has come forward from the defense side”the Supreme Court told the state news agency Ria Novosti earlier in the day.
In mid-November, the Russian Ministry of Justice asked to qualify “extremist organization” and to prohibit “the international LGBT movement”without clearly saying which organization it was targeting and therefore opening the way to a ban on any movement defending these causes.
Any public activity associated with what Russia considers sexual preferences “non-traditional” could now be sanctioned for “extremism”a crime punishable by heavy prison sentences.
“There is no limit to cannibalism. It has happened. One day all this will end, but for now we must continue to live and try to preserve ourselves”reacted on Telegram the Russian association “Feminist Resistance to War” which supports the rights of LGBT+ people.
“In practice, authorities could start opening criminal cases against public figures and activists to create a climate of fear”estimated Maxime Olenitchev, a lawyer from the NGO Pervy Otdel, which helps victims of repression in Russia.
United Nations reaction
The UN has “deplored” Thursday the ban on movement “international” LGBT+ in Russia, emphasizing that “No one should be imprisoned for working for human rights or deprived of their rights because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The decision taken by the Russian Supreme Court to ban this movement “exposes human rights defenders and anyone defending the rights of LGBT+ people to being labeled “extremists”, a term that has serious social and criminal consequences in Russia”underlined the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk in a press release.
