The maximum sentence for organizing an extremist community is up to 10 years in prison.
The court in Orenburg, 150 kilometers from the Kazakh border, said in a statement: “During the investigation it was established that the accused, being persons with non-traditional sexual orientation … worked in the bar ‘Pose’ and ensured its functioning.”
After the court ruling late last year, law enforcement has conducted several raids on LGBTQ+-friendly bars, clubs and saunas across Russia, often with the support of local right-wing activists.
The raid on “Pose” was first reported by a far-right organization. It released a video showing individuals, some half-naked, being forced to the ground and interrogated.
Following the classification of the LGBTQ+ movement as an extremist organization in Russia, several individuals have been fined or arrested for “displaying extremist symbols,” including a 24-year-old woman detained for five days for wearing rainbow-colored earrings.
Denis Leven is hosted at POLITICO under the EU-funded EU4FreeMedia residency program.