RUSSIA: High Court Rules Ban On "Gay Propaganda" To Be Constitutional

Via the Russian official state news agency RIA Novisti:

Russia’s highest court has ruled that a controversial law banning “gay propaganda” is not in breach of the Constitution. The Constitutional Court dismissed a complaint from Nikolai Alexeyev, a leading gay rights campaigner, that St. Petersburg city council had acted unconstitutionally by passing legislation to ban the promotion of homosexuality among minors. The Constitutional Court’s ruling followed a fine imposed on Alexeyev by a city court in St. Petersburg in May 2012 for holding up a poster of a quote by a famous Soviet-era actress Faina Ranevskaya. It read: “Homosexuality is not a perversion, unlike grass hockey or ice ballet.” Alexeyev had asked the court to rule that the law was based on prejudice and permitted discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation. But the judges concluded that the Constitution obliged the State to protect motherhood, childhood and family.

RUSSIA: Cops Raid Home Of Gay Activist

HomoQuotable - Nikolai Alekseyev

"It's official! The organising committee of Moscow Gay Pride and founders of the banned Pride House Sochi decided today against the boycott of Winter Olympics in Sochi and instead to organise Winter Sochi Pride on the day of the opening of Olympic Games on 7 February 2014. Join us! It will be much more effective to draw attention to official homophobia in Russia all around the world and expose the hypocrisy of the International Olympic Committee which went into discriminatory agreements with Russian regime and of the European Court of Human Rights which still has not considered our complaint concerning the unlawful denial to register Pride House Sochi! Vive Sochi Pride 2014!" - Russian LGBT activist Nikolai Alekseyev, as quoted (in Russian) on GayRussia.eu. (Via JMG reader Bill)

RUSSIA: Gay Activist Storms Off TV Show

During a nationally televised debate on the rights of gay people to assemble and protest, noted activist Nikolai Alekseev ripped off his microphone and stormed off the set. Feast Of Fun reports:

GayRussia leader Nikolai Alekseev walked off the set of a national TV debate show this afternoon after accusing the moderator, Vladimir Solovyev, of slanting the show towards homophobes. The show has been described to me as sort of like “Meet the Press,” except that millions of people actually watch it. Alekseev was debating Alexander Hinstein, a deputy in the State Duma (parliament) and member of Vladir Putin’s United Russia Party. The last straw was when Solovyev, host of the nationally broadcast show, Poednivo (roughly “The Dual” in English), called on an audience member who accused gays of physically threatening her young daughter. Alekseev tore off his microphone and walked off as the cameras rolled. Shortly thereafter, the LGBT members of the audience also walked out.

Court Approves Moscow Pride

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favor of Moscow Pride president Nikolai Alexeyev, saying that authorities acted illegally when they banned gay pride in Moscow.

City Hall was ordered to pay 12,000 euros in damages to Nikolai Alexeyev and a further 17,500 euros in costs. And gay rights activists believe the ruling opens the way for all groups to rally in public, regardless of their political or social background. “This is the first ever decision of the European Court of Human Rights which concerns freedom of assembly in Russia. It guarantees everyone freedom of expression without special permission,” Alexeyev told The Moscow News directly after the verdict. The Moscow city government lost each of the three complaints, which activists said had great significance for the future beyond the gay rights movement.

VIDEO: Russian Activists Arrested At Protest Over Moscow's Anti-Gay Mayor

Eight Russian LGBT activists, including Moscow Pride head Nikolai Alexeyev, were arrested yesterday at a protest rally outside the office of Moscow's anti-gay mayor.

At least eight protesters were arrested when police moved in to disperse the rally outside the mayor's office. Among them was Russia's best-known gay rights campaigner, Nikolai Alexeyev, who accused security agents of abducting him last week. There was no official comment on his allegations. He said he had been stopped at a Moscow airport while trying to fly to Switzerland on Wednesday and was held for two days at an unknown address before being released on Saturday. He said he had been asked to withdraw a case from the European Court of Human Rights, where he complains about Mayor Luzhkov's refusal to allow gay pride marches in the Russian capital.

The bravery of Nikolai Alexeyev continues to astound us.

Russian Activist Nikolai Alekseev Detained By Police Over Gay Pride Complaints

Noted Russian LGBT activist Nikolai Alekseev was taken away by authorities yesterday he attempted to board a flight to Geneva. According to Alekseev, Russia's government is angry over a complaint he filed with the European Court Of Human Rights over Moscow's five year old ban on gay pride events. Officials are also demanding that he call off a picket of Moscow's anti-gay mayor.

“They demanded of me to give up on the picket Luzhkov and withdraw a complaint by the gay pride of European court” Mr. Alekseev said today at 6:00 am. Later, at 8 am, he clarified that he is no longer held in Domodedovo Airport, where he was detained at the airport yesterday evening. “I cannot say where [I am], but not in Moscow,” he said when asked about his whereabouts. Mr Alekseev told about the pressures exerted on him. The authorities have threaten to block his exit from Russia. “They also threatened me that a lot of bad things about me will be given to the Swiss authorities should I leave,” he said. The head of the Moscow Gay Pride was arrested yesterday by police at Domodedovo Airport as he was about to board the evening flight to Geneva. No explanation was given for the reason of his detention.

The European Parliament's Intergroup On LGBT Rights has written an urgent message to Russia government protesting Alekseev's arrest. Unconfirmed reports say that Alekseev was released in Minsk hours ago.

BELARUS: Slavic Pride To Defy Ban

Organizers of Slavic Pride say that this weekend's parade in Minsk, Belarus will go on despite a government ban. Via Russian activist Nikolai Alekseyev:

Tomorrow dozens of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Belarusians, alongside straight people, will go to the streets of Minsk to defy the ban and assert their constitutional rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. They will show that they are against homophobia and discrimination. They cannot expect protection from the European court of human rights because Belarus is still the only country in Europe which is not a member of the Council of Europe. In contrast to Vilnius last Saturday, they will not be joined by dozens of foreign human rights activists. There will be no European parliamentarians taking part in the Slavic gay pride. There will probably be no foreign diplomats to observe the event. But they will be joined by a group of fellow Russian activists who face similar problems and who will come to show their solidarity. And, most importantly, they will have the courage and unstoppable will to live in freedom, respect and dignity. All of them know the risk they are taking, but they are ready to pay the price. Slavic gay pride will be a celebration of courage and will remind us that Harvey Milk's ideals are still alive, and still inspire people all around the world to fight injustice and prejudice, even in hostile and suppressive conditions.

Fascists and anti-gay religious groups are expected to protest the parade, as we saw last week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Moscow's Mayor Pledges To Block "Satanic" Gay Pride Parade

Repeating his annual description of gay Pride as "Satanic," Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov has called for the enforcement of laws prohibiting the event, which has taken place in years past despite being banned.

"A gay parade... cannot be called anything but a Satanic act," Yury Luzhkov told an education conference, quoted by Interfax news agency. "We haven't permitted such a parade and we won't permit it in the future." Luzhkov called for gay marchers to be punished. "It's high time that we stop propagating nonsense discussions about human rights, and bring to bear on them the full force and justice of the law," he said. Gay rights campaigner Nikolai Alexeyev reaffirmed that plans for this year's gay pride parade will go ahead despite the ban. "We don't plan to make any changes. We still plan to hold a gay parade on May 29," Alexeyev said. Luzhkov first called the gay pride parade "Satanic" in 2007, prompting gay rights campaigners to sue him for libel - unsuccessfully. Organisers have never been granted permission to hold gay pride parades by the city authorities, leading to violent clashes with police and anti-gay protestors. Last year's parade took place on the day of the Eurovision Song Contest final held in Moscow.