RUSSIA SEEKS TO OUTLAW LGBTQ MOVEMENT AS ‘EXTREMIST’

Russian authorities have filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court to outlaw the LGBTQ “international public movement”, in the latest crackdown against the country’s beleaguered community.

The Ministry of Justice said it had “lodged an administrative legal claim” aimed at recognising the LGBTQ movement “as extremist and banning its activity in Russia”.

The move is by far the most drastic step in the decade-long crackdown on LGBTQ rights in Russia unleashed under President Vladimir Putin, who has put “traditional family values” at the cornerstone of his rule.

The ministry did not specify whether it was seeking the closure of any specific groups or organisations, or if the designation would apply more broadly to the LGBTQ community, causes and individuals.

In a statement, it also accused the “LGBT movement operating on the territory of the Russian Federation” of “various signs and manifestations of extremism, including incitement to social and religious hatred”.

A court hearing is scheduled for November 30, the ministry said.

Law enforcement officers block participants of the LGBTQ community at a rally in Saint Petersburg, Russia [File: Anton Vaganov/ Reuters]

Crackdown intensified after invasion of Ukraine

Moscow’s crackdown against liberal-leaning groups has intensified since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, which has seen the LBGTQ community in the country face increasing curtailment of their rights.

In July, lawmakers banned medical intervention and administrative procedures outlawing gender reassignment.

Lawmaker Pyotr Tolstoy said at the time that the measure was about “erecting a barrier to the penetration of Western anti-family ideology”.

Last November, lawmakers also approved a bill banning all forms of LGBTQ “propaganda”, a move with far-reaching consequences for book publishing and film distribution.

The country passed ban on “gay propaganda” in 2013. Same-sex marriage was also effectively outlawed in 2020 by a constitutional amendment stipulating marriage is a union between a man and a woman.