Russia: Authorities seeking to use “extremism” laws as pretext to ban leading LGBTI organizations
Reacting to the Russian Ministry of Justice’s move to seek to ban as “extremist” the leading LGBTI organizations in Russia – Russian LGBT Network and the Saint Petersburg-based group Vykhod (Coming Out) – Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:
“The Russian authorities are once again abusing vague ‘extremism’ laws to criminalize human rights work, erase independent civil society and intimidate people whose identity does not fit a state-approved narrative.”
“This move reflects a deliberate strategy by the Kremlin to legitimize and weaponize homophobia in its assault on dissent and equality, non-discrimination, and human dignity. This cynical policy, conducted under the pretext of ‘protecting traditional values,’ creates enduring rifts in society, stigmatizes entire communities and does real harm to many people”.