Russia has placed the “international LGBT movement” on its list of people declared “terrorists and extremists”, according to a notice from the Russian financial intelligence service consulted on Friday March 22 by Agence France-Presse, the authorities having stepped up the repression of sexual minorities. The “international LGBT movement” had already been banned by the Russian Supreme Court in November 2023, even though no organization with that name exists in Russia. This wording, although vague, opened the way to heavy prison sentences.
President Vladimir Putin, who has just been reappointed at the head of his country for six years, has long promoted “family” and religion in the face of a West described as “decadent”, even “Satanist”. And, since the start of the war against Ukraine, launched at the end of February 2022, the Russian authorities have increasingly repressed sexual minorities.
On Wednesday, the authorities announced that they had placed in pre-trial detention the managers of a bar in the Urals, who face up to ten years in prison for LGBTQ “extremism”. According to the prosecution, “during the investigation it was established that the defendants, people with non-traditional sexual orientation, (…) also support the views and activities of the international LGBT public association banned in our country ".
This is the first criminal case for this reason, but several Russians have been fined in recent weeks for, for example, posting photos featuring rainbow flags online or, in the case of of two women, for broadcasting a video of their kiss online.
Since 2013, a law in Russia has prohibited the “propaganda” of “non-traditional sexual relations” aimed at minors. This legislation was significantly expanded in late 2022 to now ban all forms of LGBTQ “propaganda” in the media, on the internet, in books and in films.
In July 2023, Russian MPs also passed a law banning transgender people from surgical operations and hormonal therapies.
