Russian court declares LGBT groups ‘extremist’

MOSCOW: Two Russian LGBT organisations have been designated “extremist” amid a widening crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community in Russia.

The groups, the Moscow Community Center for LGBT+ Initiatives and ParniPlus, which reports on LGBT health and rights issues, said they would continue operating despite the rulings issued by separate courts.

ParniPlus said in an online statement, “We view this as yet another step toward criminalising LGBTQ visibility, independent journalism, and any public solidarity with the community in Russia.”

The case follows Russia’s 2023 ban on what it calls the “LGBT movement”, part of a broader policy restricting expressions of sexual orientation and gender identity, which critics say reflects the government’s conservative agenda under President Vladimir Putin.

On Tuesday, authorities also questioned staff at one of Russia’s largest publishing houses over alleged “LGBT propaganda” in its book catalogue.

Human Rights Watch said in March that Russian authorities are “weaponising the justice system to marginalise and censor LGBT people and their supporters, flagrantly violating their rights to free expression, association, and non-discrimination.”