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Anti-Propaganda Russia The federal ‘anti-propaganda’ law, adopted in 2013, cemented the rejection of LGBTI people into law, and strengthened opposition to them in political, cultural, religious, and educational settings. Legal hurdles multiplied and the activities of journalists, educators, artists, and activists came under increased scrutiny, frequently leading to fines. The law effectively outlawed any neutral or positive mention of same-sex relationships in the arts, media, public space, or educational resources. The space granted to civil society continued to shrink; while three successful rallies in support of LGBTI equality were reported, many more were either not authorised, or forcibly disbanded. A cultural festival in St Petersburg faced systematic closure attempts from the police. Two LGBTI NGOs chose to close down instead of registering as ‘foreign agents’, while activists continued their work. Verbal and physical violence against LGBTI people remained frequent. Virtually no mainstream political figures defended the rights of LGBTI people. 136 ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2015 Bias-motivated speech materials. The ‘documentary’ took the video at face l In January, a renowned actor blogged in support of value, presenting it as “American perversity”. USSR laws criminalising sodomy, and Vsevolod Chaplin, chief spokesperson for the Russian Orthodox Church, Bias-motivated violence said criminalising homosexuality “deserved discussion in l Three men were found guilty of murdering a gay society without any doubt”, suggesting a referendum. man in the eastern peninsula of Kamchatka, stabbing Senior MP Pavel Krasheninnikov (United Russia, Putin’s and trampling him to death. All three were sentenced party) opposed the call, and said Russian law already to between 9 and 12 ½ years in prison. In the provided the necessary protection from sexual violence Novgorod region, another man was found guilty of and ‘gay propaganda’. murdering a doctor who offered him sexual relations, l Two United Russia councillors in Murmansk aired and jailed for 9 years. It was unclear if either ruling a local election campaign video featuring a acknowledged the homophobic nature of the demeaning cartoon of Eurovision winner Conchita murders. Wurst holding a Pride placard under the slogan l NGO Human Rights Watch interviewed 94 LGBTI “Against loudmouths and gays”. An NGO lodged a individuals since the federal ‘anti-propaganda’ law complaint, but prosecutors said the organisation had was adopted in 2013. It reported that “the number of no standing. attacks on public LGBT events had risen in the past l Both first instance and appellate courts rejected two years”, with “just about every public activists’ lawsuit against MP Vitaly Milonov (United demonstration in favour of LGBT equality” under Russia; author of the St Petersburg ‘anti-propaganda’ attack from extremists. The report also documented laws), who had stormed an LGBTI festival in September seven cases of “vicious smear campaigns” against 2013, shouting insults and personally threatening several LGBT people, or their supporters, working at schools, activists. Mr Milonov couldn’t be tried due to his universities, or kindergartens – most of them having parliamentary immunity. lost their job. l In September, the Kremlin hosted an international l In October, two strangers insulted and attacked a conference ostensibly “on family”, i.e. against the lesbian couple in St Petersburg late at night. They rights of women and LGBTI people. Initially planned as threatened to kill the women and recorded the events on the World Congress of Families (the name was later their mobile phone. The police refused several times to withdrawn to suit its American organisers), the event record the women’s complaint. They reported the attracted high-level Russian politicians, Church incident to the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against representatives, religious and religiously-inspired women. conservative NGOs, and World Congress of Families representatives. Employment l A doctrinal dialogue between the Russian Orthodox l Several teachers and university professors were fired Church and the Finnish Lutheran Church scheduled for after their employers became aware of their LGBTI September was cancelled over differing views on activism. In February, the Northern Federal University in homosexuality (see Finland). Arkhangelsk found that two professors had been active in l In December, Kremlin-run television channel LGBTI organisations and asked them to stop: when one of Rossiya 1 aired a ‘documentary’ which was in fact a them refused, he was fired. A special needs school fired a satirical video posted online. The video showed a gay music teacher after an anonymous man reported she was couple presenting their 11-year-old son with his a lesbian; she lodged a complaint before a St Petersburg bedroom, newly decorated with pornographic court. Another teacher, dismissed in 2013, saw all his ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2015 137 appeals rejected. More cases were reported throughout Freedom of assembly the year. l Three rallies successfully took place in St Petersburg. On International Women’s Day in March, the police Family protected the demonstrations of women’s rights and l In February, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (United LGBTI activists, and arrested a dozen people armed with Russia) signed a decree implementing the ban on eggs, knives, and crowbars. On International Day Against same-sex couples adopting Russian children, agreed in Homophobia and Transphobia in May, around 200 people 2013. Under the new rules, in countries with equal with rainbow flags and placards gathered under heavy marriage, Russia will prevent adoptions of Russian police protection. While no attacks were reported at the children by individuals, unmarried heterosexual couples, rally, far right extremists threw stones at a bus bringing and same-sex couples. participants to the site. In July, 20 activists gathered at a l In August, two women married in St Petersburg. designated free-speech zone in a central park. The police One of them, a trans woman under hormone therapy, had declined to authorise the event, but a recent local law was still legally considered a man. Registry staff allowed protests in the designated area regardless. No protested, but handed them a marriage certificate. MP attacks took place. Vitaly Milonov (United Russia) said he would draft new l All other rallies were unsuccessful: an LGBTI activist local legislation to enforce a different-sex dress code was arrested within seconds of staging a one-man protest for spouses. in St Petersburg; the police arrested two women holding a rainbow flag in front of St Petersburg’s city hall (and Foreign policy fined one of them RUB 20,000 (EUR 270); Moscow l The Ministry of Foreign Affairs published the fourth authorities banned the Pride march for the ninth report on human rights in the European Union. The report consecutive year; the police disbanded an authorised criticised the EU’s attempt to disseminate its “neo-liberal Moscow rally; and local authorities in Khabarovsk failed to values as a universal lifestyle for all other members of the protect a rally in favour of LGBTI rights. international community”, including “a liberal attitude l The 2014 edition of QueerFest, an LGBTI-themed towards queers [sic]”. Human Rights Envoy Konstantin culture festival taking place every September in St Dolgov presented the report before the European Petersburg, faced unusual hurdles compared to the five Parliament’s Committee on Human Rights in January, previous years. Four booked venues cancelled the events which granted him less speaking time than Russian within hours of their scheduled start, as owners reported human rights NGOs. they had been receiving phone calls from the police l Russia continued talks with the European Union threatening them with financial audits. A fifth venue, the over visa-free travel for its citizens (see European Institute of Regional Press, refused to back down after the Union). police called them in an attempt to cancel the press l President Vladimir Putin (United Russia) signed the conference Who is Shutting Down QueerFest? 20 Orthodox founding treaty of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), in activists, who came in immediately after St Petersberg MP explicit opposition to the European Union. The EEU’s Vitaly Milonov shouted that the audience were initial Member States include Armenia, Belarus, and “paedophiles who raped children” and left (see Bias- Kazakhstan (Kyrgyzstan was also considering EEU motivated speech), sprayed noxious substances on membership at the end of 2014.) EEU Member States must participants and St Petersburg Ombudsman staff, who harmonise their national legislation by 2025 in several filed 24 complaints to the police. Organisers also received areas (notably transport, energy, and trade and this may a fake bomb alert. A festival spokesperson said there “had include civil liberties in the future). never been such a organised attack on our freedom of 138 ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2015 assembly and expression”, but welcomed the festival’s investigate any ‘gay propaganda’. The police interrupted success with hundreds of guests, with even more the screening of a documentary on Children-404 in April watching events online. in Moscow, demanding to see the audience’s identity l After the Olympic Games in Sochi ended, LGBTI cards. Once they verified that no minors were in the organisations organised the Open Games - a multi-sport audience, they let the screening continue. tournament
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