RUSSIA: Co-Sponsor Of Anti-Gay Bill Says Government Cannot Selectively Suspend Enforcement During The Sochi Olympics

According to a story posted today by the BBC's Russian-language service, the co-sponsor of Russia's "homosexual propaganda" bill says that the government does not have the power to selectively suspend enforcement during the Sochi Olympics, as they promised they would to the International Olympic Committee last week.

Here's a brief translation by JMG reader Peter:

St. Petersburg legislator Vitaly Milonov of the [ruling - ed.] United Russia Party has asked the government to refrain from selectively enforcing the law on "gay propaganda," which he co-sponsored. On Friday, the International Olympic Committee informed journalists that the Russian government had assured the safety of all athletes and spectators without respect to their sexual orientation.

"I haven't heard any comments from the government of the Russian Federation, but I know that it is acting in accordance with Russian law. And if a law has been approved by the federal legislature and signed by the president, then the government has no right to suspend it. It doesn't have the authority," said Milonov in an interview with Interfax. Further, during an interview with "Ekho Moskvy" the legislator claimed that the law on "defending children from propaganda of non-traditional values," for which he lobbied, has nothing to do with "the ordinary life of adults" [whatever that means - ed.], adding that he personally doesn't know any LGBT athletes.

"I can say that the best figure-skating in the world is the Soviet school of figure skating. All of our people have been completely traditional -- I am personally acquainted with many Olympic champions. In fact I practically grew up in those families," admitted the United Russia delegate.

Other Russian-speaking JMG readers - please feel free to add clarity or context to the above-linked BBC article.