Putin signs expanded anti-LGBTQ laws in Russia as part of latest crackdown



CNN

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a law expanding the ban on so-called LGBTQ “propaganda” in Russiawhich makes it illegal to promote same-sex relationships or claim that non-heterosexual orientation is “normal”.

The ban was stamped by Putin just a few days later. harsh new “foreign agents” law came into effect as the Kremlin cracks down on free speech and human rights and its military operation in Ukraine falters.

New laws significantly expand the scope law 2013 which prohibited the dissemination of LGBTQ-related information to minors. The new iteration extends the ban on the dissemination of such information to adults as well.

The new laws make it illegal to promote or “praise” LGBTQ relationships, publicly express non-heterosexual orientation, or claim to be “normal”.

The package of amendments signed by Putin provides for stiffer penalties for anyone who promotes “non-traditional sexual relations and/or preferences”, as well as pedophilia and gender reassignment. Under the new law, it will be banned from the Internet, media, books, audiovisual services, movies and advertising.

Under the new law, individuals can be fined up to 400,000 rubles ($6,370) for “LGBT propaganda” and up to 200,000 rubles ($3,185) for “LGBT demonstrations and information encouraging gender reassignment among teenagers.”

These fines rise to 5 million rubles ($80,000) and 4 million rubles ($64,000) respectively for legal entities.

The law was approved by the upper and lower houses of Russia in recent weeks.

In 2017, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the 2013 law is discriminatory, promotes homophobia, and violates the European Convention on Human Rights.

The court ruled that the law “does not serve a legitimate public interest”, dismissing suggestions that public debate on LGBT issues could influence children to become homosexual or that it threatens public morality.

Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but homophobia and discrimination still thrive. It is ranked 46th out of 49 European countries for LGBTQ+ inclusion by ILGA-Europe.

Tanya Lokshina, deputy director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch, speaking before Putin signed the law on Monday, said: and tougher.”

But expanding the “LGBT propaganda” law is just the latest of many steps taken by the Putin government in recent months to crack down on the last pockets of opposition, liberal values ​​and free speech in Russia.

Last week, a new, expanded version of the 2012 Foreign Agents Act came into force. Whereas the original version required organizations engaged in political activities and receiving foreign funding to register as foreign agents and comply with draconian rules and restrictions, the new law extends this requirement to anyone who “has received support and/or is under foreign influence. .

In early March, just days after Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian government passed a law criminalizing the dissemination of so-called “knowingly false” information about the Russian military. The maximum punishment is 15 years in prison.