Russia’s Supreme Court is drawing condemnation from Western rights groups after effectively banning pro-LGBT “activism.”
After a closed-door hearing on Nov. 30, the court upheld the Russian Justice Ministry’s contention that the “international LGBT movement” is “extremist” in nature and responsible for inciting “social and religious discord.”
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, the legislation is expected to go into effect “immediately.”
Critics say the law’s broad definition of pro-LGBT “activism” grants officials considerable leeway in identifying—and penalizing—alleged violators.
In the run-up to the court ruling, some Russian rights groups said the proposed legislation violated Russia’s constitution as well as international rights conventions to which Moscow is a signatory.
In a Nov. 30 statement, Amnesty International decried the ruling as “shameful and absurd,” saying it could lead to a “blanket ban” on pro-LGBT organizations and violate freedoms of association and expression.
“Its repercussions are poised to be nothing short of catastrophic,” Marie Struthers, the group’s director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said.
Volker Turk, the United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights, likewise condemned the Russian court ruling.
“This decision exposes … anyone standing up for the human rights of LGBT people to being labeled as ‘extremist’—a term that has serious social and criminal ramifications in Russia,” he said.
Under Russia’s anti-extremism laws, organizations deemed “extremist” face automatic dissolution, while leaders of such groups can be jailed for up to 10 years.
Mr. Turk called on Russian authorities to repeal all legislation “that places improper restrictions on the work of human rights defenders or discriminates against LGBT people.”
Russia’s justice ministry has yet to comment on the court’s decision.
The Russian Orthodox Church, meanwhile, hailed the move, which it described as “moral self-defense.”
“The LGBT movement’s activities are aimed at removing Christian ideas of marriage and family from the public and legal sphere,” it said in a statement.
“If such a movement is given free rein in Russia, it will pursue the same goals as it has in the West.
“For us, this is unacceptable.”
In July, Russia drew the ire of Western officialdom when it adopted a law banning so-called “gender reassignment” surgery.
The law also prohibits citizens from changing their gender on official documents and bans anyone who has changed their gender from adopting children.
The bill was jointly submitted by Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament), together with the leaders of all five party factions in the assembly.
These included Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ruling United Russia party, which currently holds 325 of the Duma’s 450 seats.
Mr. Volodin said the bill is aimed at “protecting our citizens and children.”
Speaking before the assembly, he described the notion of “gender reassignment” as a “path to the degeneration of the nation.”
At the time, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the United States “firmly opposes discrimination and abuses against LGBT persons.”
‘LGBT Propaganda’ Banned
Russia’s prohibition on “gender reassignment” followed another law, adopted late last year, outlawing perceived “LGBT propaganda.”
Under that legislation, any attempt to “promote homosexuality”—in films, books, or online—was made punishable by stiff financial penalties.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the law as a “blow to freedom of expression.”
Following criticisms by U.S. officials, Russia’s embassy in Washington slammed what it called “Western attempts to impose pseudo-liberal and perverted ideas about human rights on other countries.”
Last year’s law expanded on earlier Russian legislation, first adopted in 2013, banning perceived “LGBT propaganda” seen to be specifically targeting children.
The legislation has since been invoked by the Russian authorities to ban public “gay pride” events and detain pro-LGBT activists.
In October 2022, the popular video-sharing app TikTok was fined 3 million rubles ($33,000) by the Russian authorities for promoting video content “containing LGBT themes.”
Along with the Russian Orthodox Church, Mr. Putin has frequently stated that pro-LGBT “activism”—especially the notion of “gender fluidity”—conflicts with traditional Russian values.
On several occasions, he has said that such notions were evidence of “moral decay,” accusing the West of imposing “alien ideologies” on the rest of the world.
“Western elites believe they can impose strange ideas on their people, such as the existence of dozens of genders,” the Russian leader declared in October 2022.
“But they have no right to tell others to follow in their footsteps.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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