LISBON, May29, 2007  –  The Portuguese gay and lesbian group Panteras Rosa (Pink Panthers) today hit out against the Russian authorities after the weekend’s violence in Moscow during Gay Pride.

And the group were also scathing about the silence of both the European Union and the Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates who was in Moscow for talks at the Kremlin yesterday with President Putin.

“The 27th of May was a day of shame for the Russian authorities. But it was also a day of shame for José Sócrates and for the EU – and we will not forget it,” the Pinks Panthers said in a statement today.

“[We protest to the Russian authorities] for the shameful way they acted refusing to intervene both when the Moscow City Council prohibited the LGBT March and when peaceful demonstrators were violently attacked.

“However, even more shameful than the impunity of ultra-religious and right-wing people who attacked this demonstration, is the unbearable silence of the EU, who, in the name of commercial agreements being arranged with Russia , is silent over these violations of human rights.

“The presence and silence of José Sócrates, the Portuguese prime minister, who was in Moscow and is about to take EU presidency, are [an example of] the double standard of the EU, whose rhetoric seems to be using human rights only when financial interests are not at stake.

“In the European Year of Equal Opportunities, widely celebrated by the European governments, the lack of attitude on the part of the Portuguese prime minister is a particularly hypocritical sign … in terms of promoting and defending human rights worldwide.,” the statement says, pointing out that Portugal is soon to take over the EU Presidency

The 27th of May was a day of shame for the Russian authorities. But it was also a day of shame for José Sócrates and for the EU. And we will not forget it.

OTHER MOSCOW PRIDE 2007 COVERAGE

Moscow Pride:  A Photo Essay.  Eight photographs from l Moscow Pride. 2007

Moscow Gay Pride: Tatchell’s Assailant Not Arrested, Say Police. Moscow police confirm that they have opened a criminal investigation into the assault on British gay human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, at last Sunday's Moscow Gay Pride event.  But official police claims that they have arrested the right-wing extremist who punched Mr Tatchell in the face are untrue, according to the investigating officer.  (UK Gay News, June 1)

Moscow Gay Pride Organiser Khramov Found Guilty.  One of the three organisers of Moscow Pride has escaped a jail sentence and was fined when found guilty this afternoon in a Moscow court which threw-out evidence, given at a previous hearing by a number of MPs from Europe, as “frivolous”.  (UK Gay News, June 8)

European Union Must Impose Travel Ban on Moscow Mayor of Gay Pride Trouble – Greens.  The British Green Party has today called for a European Union travel ban on the Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, following violence in the streets of the capital on Sunday during Gay Pride – and heavy-handed police tactics which saw many arrests.  (UK Gay News, May 28)

May 28:  USA:    Beach, or Beaten in Moscow?  Commentary by Sara Whitman.  I sat at the beach today, and wondered how many people thought Allan and I, with Zachary in tow, thought we were heterosexual.  Okay, Allan in his tiny Speedo and me in my giant one piece Speedo and, of course, gym shorts, were not exactly looking incredibly straight but the image was enough to bother me.  I had read this morning that over thirty gay activists had been arrested in Moscow.

May 28:  UK/Russia:  London Mayor Appeals to Moscow For End of Gay Pride Ban.   Following yesterday’ violence against lesbian and gay rights demonstrators in Moscow – and the arrest of several of the demonstrators – the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has this morning written to his Moscow counterpart Mayor Luzhkov urging that no charges be brought against those who were demonstrating for lesbian and gay rights.

May 28:  Russia:  Gay Pride Organisers Alekseev and Two Others Await Court  – 15 Days In Prison Expected.  Nikolai Alekseev and two colleagues from Moscow Gay Pride are spending tonight in police custody at they await a court appearance later this morning.

May 28:  Russia:  Ahwazi Arabs Condemn Arrest of Gay Rights Demonstrators in Moscow.  Ahwazi Arab activists last night condemned the treatment of gay rights activist Peter Tatchell and other demonstrators in Moscow yesterday.

May 27:  Russia:  Arrested Gay Pride Activist Asks World for Help.  From inside the Tverskoye police station, where he is being detained, Nikolai Alekseev – one of the Moscow Gay Pride organisers and its spokesperson – has issued a statement asking for international support and for the immediate release of all the gays activists currently being held.

May 27:  Russia:   Moscow Gay Pride: Dispatches from the Front.  There was trouble in Moscow today when participants at Gay Pride,, led by a number of European politicians, tried to deliver a letter of protest to Mayor Yuri Luzhkov at City Hall.  Violence flared as they faced groups of neo-Facist thugs, religious groups, aggressive police and the OMON.  This is a "record" of the dispatches received by UK Gay News from many sources.

May 27:  Russia:  Tatchell at Moscow Gay Pride: We Are In This Fight Together.  Greetings!  I bring you a message of comradeship and solidarity from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex [LGBTI] human rights organizations OutRage! in London.  Your struggle is our struggle. This is the full text of Peter Tatchell's keynote speech to the Moscow Gay Pride Conference yesterday

May 27:  Russia:  Moscow Gay Pride 2006: Where Were the Human Rights Campaigners? The Same Question Can be Asked Today.  The following commentary by GayRussia.ru was written a year ago.  Has the situation changed?  The stark answer is: “Not really”.   Ludmila Alekseeva of the Moscow Helsinki Group and Lev Ponomarev of the Movement for Human Rights have both declined to come, just as last year.

May 26:  Russia:  Moscow Gay Pride Blog.

May 26:  Russia:  Moscow City Hall Quiet as 120 Journalists Check In For Moscow Gay Pride.  With Gay Pride about to start, Moscow is surprisingly quiet.  Not a single official statement has been released by Mayor of Moscow, unlike at the same time last year.

May 25:  Russia:  Tatchell: The Right To Hold Moscow Pride Is Not Just an Issue of Gay, Lesbian Rights.  International solidarity can help give a psychological and practical boost to local LGBT activists, Peter Tatchell said shortly after arriving in Moscow for the city’s second Gay Pride.
 
May 25:  Russia:  She Promises, She Delivers – Vladimir Luxuria in Moscow for Gay Pride.  An interview with Europe's first trangendered politician.