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Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Boris Kovalchuk, chairman of the Management Board of Russia's energy export and import operator Inter RAO during their meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo State residence outside Moscow, Russia, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

1st Russians are fined or jailed over rainbow-colored items after LGBTQ+ 'movement' is outlawed

Russian media and rights groups say the first publicly known cases have emerged of Russian authorities penalizing people under a court ruling that outlawed LGBTQ+ activism as extremism

By DASHA LITVINOVA
Published - Feb 05, 2024, 02:22 PM ET
Last Updated - Feb 05, 2024, 07:12 PM EST

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The first publicly known cases have emerged of Russian authorities penalizing 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 labeled 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 organizations, and LGBTQ+ rights advocates have warned that those displaying rainbow-colored flags or other items might be targeted by the authorities.

On Monday, a court in Saratov, a city 730 kilometers (453 miles) southeast of Moscow, handed a 1,500-ruble (roughly $16) fine to artist and photographer Inna Mosina over several Instagram posts depicting rainbow flags, Russia's independent news site Mediazona reported. The case contained the full text of the Supreme Court ruling, which named a rainbow flag the “international” symbol of the LGBTQ+ “movement.”

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