TALLINN, Estonia — Russia’s Supreme Court effectively banned LGBTQ+ activism on Thursday, the most drastic move yet against gay, lesbian and transgender rights advocates in the increasingly conservative country.
The decision was in response to a lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Justice, the court labeled the so-called LGBTQ+ “movement” operating in Russia as an extremist organization and banned it.
The decision is the latest step in a decade-long crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia under President Vladimir Putin, who has emphasized “traditional family values” during his 24 years in power.
Thursday’s closed hearing lasted four hours. No one but a representative of the Ministry of Justice was allowed in, and no defendant. Journalists were brought into the courtroom only to read the verdict by Judge Oleg Nefedov, who was wearing a face mask, apparently for health reasons.
The case is classified, and the ministry has not disclosed any evidence, saying only that authorities have identified “signs and manifestations of an extremist nature” in the movement it seeks to ban, including “incitement of social and religious discord.”
Some rights activists have noted that the lawsuit was filed against a movement that is not an official entity, and that under its broad and vague definition, Russian authorities can crack down on any individual or group deemed to be part of it.
“In practice, it could happen that the Russian authorities, with this court decision, will enforce (the decision) against LGBTQ+ initiatives that work in Russia, considering them part of this civic movement,” said Max Olenichev, a human rights activist. lawyer who works with Russia’s LGBTQ+ community, was contacted by The Associated Press ahead of the ruling.
Russia’s Supreme Court effectively banned LGBTQ+ activism on Thursday. AP
The lawsuit targets activists and effectively bans any organized activity to defend the rights of LGBTQ+ people, Olenichev added.
Several Russian independent media outlets and human rights groups added the rainbow symbol to their logos on social media in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.
Amnesty International called the decision “shameful and senseless,” warning it could lead to a blanket ban on LGBTQ+ organizations, infringe on freedom of association, speech and peaceful assembly, and lead to discrimination.
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“It will affect a lot of people, and the impact is expected to be catastrophic,” said Marie Struthers, the group’s director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
A spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church praised the decision, telling the state-run RIA Novosti news agency that it was “a form of moral self-defense by society” against efforts to push “Christian ideas about marriage and family out of the public and legal realm. .”
The Ministry of Justice has not yet commented.
Ahead of the ruling, Russia’s leading human rights group filed documents with the court calling the demands “unlawful,” discriminatory and a violation of the constitution and international human rights treaties Moscow has signed. Several LGBTQ+ activists said they tried to become a party to the lawsuit but were rejected by the court.
“We are trying to find some legal logic in this absurdity,” said Igor Kochetkov, a human rights advocate and founder of the Russian LGBT Network rights group.
“We’re trying to appeal to the common sense of the Supreme Court and say: ‘Look, here I am, someone who has been involved in LGBT activism for many years, who has been promoting these ideas — the idea of defending human rights, mind you — and demanding this court worries me,’” he told AP.
“They don’t want any trial,” added Kochetkov. “They don’t want to deal with this. This is a political order, and they follow it. It is the end of any kind of justice in Russia, in general.”
A spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church praised the decision, telling the state-run RIA Novosti news agency that it was “a form of moral self-defense by society.” AP
In 2013, the Kremlin adopted the first law restricting LGBTQ+ rights, known as the “gay propaganda” law, which banned any public endorsement of “non-traditional sexual relations” among minors. In 2020, constitutional reforms pushed by Putin to extend his rule for two more terms included a provision to ban same-sex marriage.
After sending troops into Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin launched a campaign against so-called “deteriorating” Western influence, in what rights advocates see as an attempt to legitimize the war. In the same year, the authorities adopted a law banning the propaganda of “non-traditional sexual relations” among adults, also, effectively banning any public support for LGBTQ+ people.
Another law passed this year prohibits gender reassignment procedures and gender-affirming care for transgender people. The legislation prohibits any “medical intervention aimed at changing a person’s sex,” as well as changing a person’s gender in official documents and public records. It also amended the Russian Family Code by listing gender change as a reason for annulment of marriage and adding those “who have changed gender” to the list of people who cannot be adoptive or adoptive parents.
“Do we really want to have here, in our country, in Russia, ‘Parents No. 1, No. 2, No. 3’ instead of ‘mom’ and ‘dad?'” Putin said in September 2022. “Do we really want perversions that lead to decline and extinction to be imposed in our schools from the elementary grades?”
The authorities rejected accusations of LGBTQ+ discrimination. Earlier this month, Russian media quoted Deputy Justice Minister Andrei Loginov as saying that “the rights of LGBT people in Russia are protected” legally. He is presenting a report on human rights in Russia to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, arguing that “preventing public demonstrations of non-traditional sexual relationships or preferences is not a form of condemnation for them.”
Olenichev said the decision of the Supreme Court introduced several restrictions, such as joining, helping or financing extremist organizations; publicly use certain logos and symbols associated with them; or openly support the ideas they spread. But while the court-mandated ban on extremist organizations takes effect immediately, these restrictions will begin 30 days after the ruling, if the defendants do not appeal.
The exact nature of these restrictions – such as the symbols that will be banned – remains unclear, as the case is classified, and will only become clear in the first legal action brought against activists, Olenichev added, although violating it exposes people to prosecution and potentially prison terms.
The decision is the latest step in a decade-long crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia under President Vladimir Putin, who has emphasized “traditional family values” during his 24 years in power. AP
This is likely to lead to a reduction in legal, psychological and other help and support for LGBTQ+ people in Russia obtained from rights groups and grassroots initiatives, he said, and make the community itself and its needs less visible.
“The authorities are doing everything for the LGBT agenda to disappear from the public square,” he added.
Many people will see leaving Russia before they are targeted as the only option, said Olga Baranova, director of the Moscow Community Center for LGBT+ Initiatives.
“It is clear to us that they are once again making us a domestic enemy to divert attention from all the other problems that are happening in Russia,” Baranova told the AP.
Others are determined to stay and continue working with the LGBTQ+ community.
Dasha Yakovleva said Feminitive, a women’s group she co-founded, is the only group in Russia’s westernmost Kaliningrad region that, in addition to supporting women’s rights, currently offers support to LGBTQ+ people and will “find a way” to continue.
He told the AP that he sees value in helping LGBTQ+ people exercise their rights.
“Since our state does not intend to do so, it is the duty of our civil society to try to be an island of safety, advocacy, relations with the international community,” said Yakovleva.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
