this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2025
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/39206547

  • Russian courts have issued over 100 convictions for “extremism” for participating in the “International LGBT Movement” or displaying its alleged symbols.
  • Russian authorities weaponize and misuse the justice system as a tool in their draconian crusade to enforce “traditional values” and marginalize and censor LGBT people.
  • Russia’s international interlocutors should call on the Kremlin to end its persecution of LGBT people and their supporters; governments should provide safe haven and meaningful protection to those fleeing Russia for fear of prosecution.

Russian courts have issued 101 “extremism”-related convictions for allegedly participating in the “International LGBT Movement” or displaying its alleged symbols, Human Rights Watch said [...]

The prosecutions, approximately 98 of them for administrative, or minor misdemeanor, offenses and three for criminal liability, demonstrate Russian authorities’ determination to penalize, persecute, and silence lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their supporters.

In 2023, Russia’s Supreme Court designated the “International Public LGBT Movement” an “extremist” organization: a legal and factual mischaracterization of a diverse, decentralized global human rights cause. The ruling entered into force in January 2024, opening the floodgates for arbitrary prosecutions of individuals who are LGBT or perceived to be, along with anyone who defends their rights or expresses solidarity with them.

“Russian authorities weaponize and misuse the justice system as a tool in their draconian crusade to enforce ‘traditional values’ and marginalize and censor LGBT people,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “They are flagrantly violating Russians’ rights to free expression, association, and nondiscrimination.”

[...]

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[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

‘You’re a Second-Class Citizen’: Arrests, Club Raids and Extremism Charges Define LGBTQ+ Life in Russia in 2025

Since the extremist designation, Russian authorities have opened at least 12 criminal cases on charges related to LGBTQ+ activities, according to the independent rights watchdog OVD-Info. These charges are punishable by up to 12 years in prison.

One of the most tragic cases in the wave of prosecutions for “LGBT extremism” is that of 48-year-old Andrei Kotov, whose death in a pre-trial detention center raised serious concerns about the pressure faced by those accused under the anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

Kotov was arrested in Moscow in late December 2024 on charges of creating an extremist organization related to his alleged organization of “gay tours.” Authorities added him to the federal terrorists and extremists registry, allowing authorities to freeze his bank accounts without a court order.

Before his death, Kotov said he had been beaten and tortured with an electric shocker in detention.

[–] Taalnazi@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

May he rest in peace, and may Putler get a treatment like that Japanese girl who got tortured by the mafia for over two months.

[–] rockerface@lemmy.cafe 4 points 1 day ago

Just like Stalin intended