Police raided gay clubs and bars throughout Moscow after Russia’s Supreme Court declared the “global LGBTQ+ movement” an extremist organization and banned related activities in the country.
The crackdown Friday included searches at venues including a nightclub, a bar known for hosting LGBTQ+ parties and a male sauna.
Clubgoers had their documents checked and photographed by security services as authorities said the raids were in connection to drug searches, according to local media.
On Thursday, Russia’s top court responded to a lawsuit from the Justice Ministry by outlawing any activities connected to the LGBTQ+ movement, the latest move in a decade-long crackdown against gay rights under President Vladimir Putin.
Activists said the decision targeted a movement that is not an actual entity, and could be used to justify sweeping crackdowns against those the government associates with LGBTQ+ activities.
Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision, Russian human rights groups submitted a document to the Supreme Court opposing the Justice Ministry’s lawsuit, calling it a violation of the country’s constitution.
Putin backed a move in 2020 to outlaw same-sex marriage, seven years after the Kremlin enacted a law restricting gay rights by outlawing any public promotion of “nontraditional sexual relations” to minors.
Deputy Justice Minister Andrei Loginov was quoted earlier this month saying that “the rights of LGBT people in Russia are protected,” and that “restraining public demonstration of nontraditional sexual relationships or preferences is not a form of censure for them.”
With News Wire Services
Evan Rosen
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