Russia bans ‘LGBTQ movement’, sparking fears of new crackdown
- The Supreme Court ruled that activists should be listed as ‘extremists’, a designation that has served in the past as a prelude to arrests
- Putin has been seeking to promote an image of Russia as a guardian of traditional moral values, in contrast to a decadent West
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Russia labels ‘LGBTQ movement’ as ‘extremist’
Russia’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that LGBTQ activists should be designated as “extremists”, in a move that representatives of gay and transgender people fear will lead to arrests and prosecutions.
The presiding judge announced that he had endorsed a request from the justice ministry to ban what it called “the international LGBT social movement”.
The move is part of a pattern of increasing restrictions in Russia on expressions of sexual orientation and gender identity, including laws outlawing the promotion of “non-traditional” sexual relations and banning legal or medical changes of gender.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk urged Russian authorities to “repeal, immediately, laws that place improper restrictions on the work of human rights defenders or that discriminate against LGBT people”.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, expected shortly to announce that he will seek a new six-year term in March, has long sought to promote an image of his country as a guardian of traditional moral values in contrast with a decadent West.
