<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/30/russia-supreme-court-outlaws-lgbt-movement>
"Russia’s supreme court has outlawed what it called an “international LGBT
public movement” as extremist, in a landmark ruling that representatives of gay
and transgender people warn will lead to arrests and prosecutions of the
already repressed LGBTQ+ community.
The ruling in effect outlaws LGBTQ+ activism in a country growing increasingly
conservative since the start of the war in Ukraine. The “extremist” label could
mean that gay, lesbian, transgender or queer people living in Russia could
receive lengthy prison sentences if deemed by the authorities to be part of the
so called “international LGBT public movement”.
The justice ministry earlier this month filed a request that the “international
LGBT movement” be labelled extremist, without clarifying what it meant under
the term, which is not a registered entity in Russia but rather a broad
definition used by the Russian authorities.
Human rights activists have said the vague wording of the ruling that targets
the “international LGBT public movement” allows Russian authorities to
persecute any individual or organisation it considers to be part of the
“movement”.
“Even though there is no such thing as an international LGBT movement, it is
clear that all legal activities of LGBT organisations will be impossible in
Russia,” said Igor Kochetkov, the head of the rights group Russian LGBT
Network.
Lucy Shtein, a Russian political activist and member of the Pussy Riot art
collective said that “everyone who identifies themselves as part of the LGBTQ+
movement could now become a target”.
Thursday’s hearing took place behind closed doors and with no defendant.
The Kremlin has previously used the extremist label to prosecute human rights
groups, independent media and political opposition, including allies of the
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, some of whom have received lengthy sentences.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has launched a fresh
effort to promote “traditional values”, with the Russian leader making anti-gay
rhetoric one of the cornerstones of his political agenda. In previous speeches,
Putin accused the west of “moving towards open satanism”, citing the promotion
of gay and transgender rights in Europe as an example.
The Russian president repeated his disdain for the LGBTQ+ community during a
speech this month referring to trans people as “transformers”. Some Kremlin
critics have said the rhetoric is an attempt on the part of Moscow to create an
internal enemy as Russia’s war in Ukraine dragged on with LGBTQ+ people being
used as scapegoats by the authorities.
Kochetkov said the bill was part of Moscow’s effort to “create imaginary
enemies within the framework of its ideology promoting ‘traditional values’”.
“This ideology is becoming totalitarian,” he said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
