Oleg Nefedov, judge of the Supreme Court of Russia, in Moscow this Thursday. MAXIM SHEMETOV (Portal)
Without witnesses or defense, “the LGTBI movement” was declared “extremist” by the Supreme Court of Russia in a closed session in which only representatives of the Ministry of Justice were present, henceforth on the same list as terrorists. It is the Kremlin’s last initiative against this population for the time being; after it criminalized public statements in favor of homosexuals as “propaganda against traditional values” or banned gender reassignment for transsexuals, a right recognized by the UN. Once the measure comes into force, which according to the LGTBI organization Pervy Otdel will not be before January 10, all LGTBI activists will be at risk of criminal conviction.
Conviction for extremism carries penalties of up to 12 years in prison. According to LGTBI organizations, demonstrating with the rainbow flag, participating in events organized by this group, or watching a Telegram channel in public, for example on the subway, could be sufficient grounds for arrest. Precisely one of the goals that the Kremlin is pursuing with this initiative is the exclusion of platforms that defend LGBTI rights. As soon as the Supreme Court’s announcement became known, they lost hundreds and thousands of followers on social networks, since any relationship with “extremist organizations” in Russia can be considered a crime.
Activists have sought to reassure LGBTBI people, whose freedom of expression has been under attack for years. “Even in the broadest legal interpretations [de este fallo]“The fact of having a gender identity and sexual orientation does not mean that one is accused of being an extremist,” the advocacy platform “Vyjod” (in Russian: “Exit”) emphasized in a statement.
The Supreme Court meeting was declared secret. The journalists could only listen to the verdict. Dozens of independent Russian media and broadcasters have expressed solidarity with the group and included the LGTBI flag in their logos.
“Incitement to social and religious hatred”
The Russian Ministry of Justice used this as an excuse to declare people in this group extremists who allegedly “fomented social and religious hatred.” In fact, the Kremlin accuses the West of defending the rights of the LGTBI with the alleged intention of destabilizing Russia, thereby attempting to justify discrimination against the group.
Join EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without restrictions.
Subscribe to
That same week, at the annual meeting of the ultranationalist World Council of the Russian People, President Vladimir Putin reiterated that the war in Ukraine was not just a symbol of the defense of what he sees as the Russian world, a civilization that would expand beyond its borders beyond include; It is also a fight for “traditional values” against the social model of Europe and America. “In the West, they not only practice cancel culture, but they have also abolished liberal arts education. As a result, their culture and education become primitive. “Many classical subjects have been eliminated from Western curricula and replaced by something related to gender and pseudoscience,” the president said in the presence of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, before whom he also defended the traditional family “only.” as the basis of the state and society, but as a source of morality.”
Follow all international information on Facebook and Xor in our weekly newsletter.
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits
_