Russians fined, jailed after LGBTQ+ movement outlawed

A protest in Russia in support of the LGBTQ+ movement. Pic/X

The first publicly known cases have emerged of Russian authorities penalising people under a court ruling that outlawed LGBTQ+ activism as extremism, Russian media and rights groups have reported, with at least three people who displayed rainbow-colored items receiving jail time or fines.

The Supreme Court ruling in November banned what the government called the LGBTQ+ "movement" operating in Russia and labelled it as an extremist organization. The ruling was part of a crackdown on LGBTQ+ people in the increasingly conservative country where "traditional family values" have become a cornerstone of President Vladimir Putin's 24-year rule.

Russian laws prohibit public displays of symbols of extremist organisations, and LGBTQ+ rights advocates have warned that those displaying rainbow-colored flags or other items might be targeted by the authorities.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever