Russian police have raided several gay bars and clubs in Moscow, according to media reports. Additionally, a sauna accessible only to men was searched, several Russian media outlets reported on Saturday. The apparently coordinated raids occurred shortly after the international LGBT movement was banned by the Russian judiciary.
The videos showed police, among other things, in front of a nightclub frequented by gays, where a large dance party was taking place. “The music stopped in the middle of the party,” an eyewitness told Ostoroshno Novosti. The police then took photos of the guests’ identification documents.
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Club closes
On Friday night, one of the city’s oldest gay clubs in St. Petersburg announced it was closing. As justification, the “Hauptbahnhof” referred to a Supreme Court decision from the previous day.
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Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday banned the “international LGBT movement” for “extremism” and banned its activities on Russian territory. The English abbreviation LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.
The decision came into force with immediate effect. However, the Supreme Court initially did not provide any information about whether its ruling applied to specific people or organizations in Russia. This means that its exact effects initially remained unclear. In Russia, “extremism” carries long prison sentences.
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