Russia's Efforts to Boycott Pride Parades

by Michael Jones · 2009-03-11 08:09:00 UTC
Topics:

Russia

Last year, Russian LGBT rights activists applied for 155 marches in Moscow, hoping that the city would allow the free assembly of LGBT people and straight allies.  Instead, the mayor of Moscow - Mayor Yuri Luzhkov - denied all 155 requests, and threatened violence on anyone attempting to organize.  (That's one of the reasons why we named him one of our five worst people of 2008.)

Now, LGBT rights activists are taking their cause to the European Court of Human Rights, filing a submission today that argues Moscow authorities breached a number of European Convention articles in banning the gatherings.   LGBT rights supporters are seeking financial compensation for Russia's continued clamp down on basic human rights.

Nikolai Alekseev, one of the gay pride organizers, said that this case before the European Court of Human Rights is very unique in terms of international justice. "No one has ever appealed the bans of so many public events.  Additionally, not a single member-state of the Council of Europe has ever faced complaints about the bans of three Gay Prides in a row.  This, as well as other complaints that we sent to Strasbourg, vividly demonstrate that the breaches of the right to freedom of assembly for homosexual people in Russia are now systematic."

Russia has clearly built up a reputation as being a systematic violator of LGBT rights.  It's great to see this case move forward, especially as activists push forward with an application for another pride parade this coming May.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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