Crackdown on LGBTQ+ Establishments in Russia Following Supreme Court's Ban on International LGBTQ Movement
Following a recent ban by Russia's top court on the 'international LGBTQ movement,' police conducted targeted raids on gay venues, as reported by online news outlets These actions have raised concerns regarding LGBTQ rights and discrimination in the country
Police in Russia conducted raids on gay venues on Friday night, according to reports from two online Russian news outlets. This comes after the country's top court decision to ban the "international LGBTQ movement" and label it as an extremist organization. The Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday has heightened fears within Russia's LGBTQ community, which has been facing increased persecution in recent years. President Vladimir Putin's efforts to portray himself as a defender of traditional values against the liberal West have contributed to the ongoing crackdown.
The raids were conducted at a minimum of three entertainment venues in the capitals, Moscow and St. Petersburg, based on reports from the independent Russian Telegram news sources, Ostorozhno Novosti and Sota.
On May 1, 2013, gay rights activists held a rally in St. Petersburg, Russia, to protest a contentious law that they believe infringes on the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. The photo, taken by Olga Maltseva for AFP, shows the activists marching in the city during their demonstration.
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Police said they were conducting routine drug raids, the outlets added.
Caution: Novosti also reported that the police took photos of the partygoers' passports.
According to the report, eyewitnesses said that security forces came into the building claiming to conduct an anti-drug check and took photos of the visitors' passports. "During the party, they abruptly stopped the music and started entering the rooms," said the report.
The outlet also shared a video of a witness describing a terrifying ordeal: "I was there. I honestly panicked when the music stopped and they announced a police raid. I thought I would be sentenced to 12 years in prison. As I was leaving, they took a photo of my passport (ID). Just imagine, 300 of us were standing naked or in our underwear, waiting for someone to bring us clothes, and no one knew what was going on."
According to the Telegram news channel Sota, an employee of the gay club Central Station in Moscow reported that the raids took place at the Secret Club and the Mono Bar in Moscow, as well as at the popular pop-up Hunters Party in St. Petersburg.
Young people react outside Russia's Supreme Court building in Moscow on November 30, 2023.
The Central Station Club in St. Petersburg announced its closure on Friday, citing the denial of further rental of the site due to the "new law," as reported by Sota. The club's management confirmed the closure.
The video shared by two news outlets depicts a police van parked outside a venue with flashing lights but no sirens. Two individuals resembling police officers are visible at the venue's entrance. Milana Petrova, a prominent Russian transgender blogger and LGBTQ activist who no longer resides in the country, commented on the raids via her Telegram channel.
The raids targeted private LGBTQ parties, not nightclubs, as she stated. According to Petrova's post on Sunday, individuals at these parties had their passports photographed against their will, likely for future oppression.
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Petrova expressed outrage at the recent law, stating, "This is the harshest law in the history of our country."
The manager of the well-known Mono gay club, known as Alexey Khoroshy, refuted claims that his club was raided, stating that only the pop-up party in St. Petersburg was raided. "Yesterday's raid was only at the Hunters Party. Everything is back to normal - we are open and operating as usual! And always remember, drugs are harmful," Khoroshy stated.
Another informant familiar with the Hunters Party pop-up raid informed CNN that it was simply a standard drug raid. Yet, individuals participating in an online group associated with the Hunters Party voiced their concerns.
"We are no longer able to find peace, as we are caught between propaganda and extremism," wrote a member closely associated with the Hunters Party in the group chat.
Someone else replied, "This is too risky, I won't be attending anymore."
Russian officials have not commented on the raids. There was no mention of routine drug or any other type of raids on state-run media.
Russia's Supreme Court ruled to ban the "international LGBT movement" for "extremism" on Thursday.
Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images
Russias top court bans international LGBTQ movement
Russias LGBTQ community have already faced a host of new laws that specifically target them.
Last year, Putin enacted a law that broadens the prohibition of LGBTQ "propaganda" in Russia, criminalizing the promotion of same-sex relationships or the normalization of non-heterosexual orientations. This ban was approved shortly after the implementation of a strict new "foreign agents" law, indicating a tightening of restrictions on free speech and human rights as Russia's military operations in Ukraine face challenges.
The scope of the 2013 law, which prohibited the sharing of LGBTQ-related information with minors, has been expanded by the new laws. The updated version now also prohibits the promotion of such information to adults. In Russia, it is now illegal to promote or praise LGBTQ relationships, openly express non-heterosexual orientations, or suggest that they are "normal."
