Russian police have launched a series of raids on gay bars and clubs in Moscow after the country’s supreme court banned the LGBTQ movement in Russia, calling it “extremist”.
Police in the Russian capital targeted gay clubs, nightclubs, men’s saunas and other venues on Friday after a court ruling, which effectively banned the LGBTQ community, NBC News reported on Sunday.
The decision follows a lawsuit filed by the government’s Justice Ministry and is part of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin’s long-running war against the gay community.
“It will affect countless people, and the impact is expected to be catastrophic,” Marie Struthers, regional director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia for Amnesty International, told The Associated Press of the decision.
The court’s decision came after a closed session on the case that lasted four hours Thursday, with reporters allowed into the courtroom only for the reading of the verdict by Judge Oleg Nefedov.
Few details of the deliberations by the court — Russia’s highest — have been made public, with authorities only revealing that “signs and manifestations of extremist nature” have been identified in the LGBTQ movement, including “incitement of social and religious discord.”
Russian police raided gay bars and other LGBTQ sites on Friday after the country’s court labeled the community ‘extremist.’ @ostorozhno_novosti/Telegram
Critics questioned the legality of the move, including the Justice Ministry’s authority to file lawsuits.
Igor Kochetkov, founder of the Russian LGBT Network, is among those trying to block the effort.
“We are trying to find legal logic in this stupidity,” Kochetkov said before the decision. “We’re trying to appeal to the common sense of the supreme court and say, ‘Look, here I am, a person who has been involved in LGBT activism for many years, who has been promoting these ideas.’
Russian judge Oleg Nefedov announced the Supreme Court decision declaring the LGBTQ community “extremist”. YURI KOCHETKOV/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
” ‘The idea of defending human rights, remember,’ ” he said. ” ‘And this lawsuit worries me.’ “
Putin drew heat from the gay community after launching his attacks on Ukraine last year, calling his efforts part of a campaign to curb “degrading” Western influence.
But as of 2013 the Kremlin passed a law restricting “gay propaganda” and banning any public endorsement of “non-traditional sexual relations” in Russia.
LGBTQ supporters protest in front of the Kremlin in Moscow amid Russia’s ongoing crackdown on the gay community. AP
The 2020 government reforms that extend Putin’s term as president for two terms include a provision banning same-sex marriage in the country.
Russia’s highest court did not elaborate on its decision.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
