MOSCOW, November 16, 2005  –  The Russian General Prosecution Department is to start criminal investigations into the anti-gay demonstration last month in Krasnodar, about 1,000 km to the South of Moscow and near the Black Sea.
 

■ Albert Gayamyan addresses the anti-gay demonstration in Krasnodar last month. (photo: GayRussia.Ru)

Today, a complaint was presented to the Department in Moscow and a case was opened.

The basis of the complaint, made by the organisers of the Moscow International LGBT festival Nikolai Alekseev, Evgenia Debryanskaya, Roman Kalinin and Nikolai Baev, is the antigay protest held last month in Krasnodar when demonstrators proposed the staging of next year’s planned Moscow Pride.

During the demonstration leaflets were distributed containing text such as: “Let’ not allow the conduct of the gay parade in Moscow in May 2006”.  Other leaflets and posters said that “gays were pederasts” and “were despised for their unnatural acts”.

The participants of the demonstration, the complaint said, used the slogans comprising sayings which compared organizers of the gay pride with fascists.  Similar remarks were also in leaflets distributed by the organisers of the event.

Cited in the complaint was Albert Gayamyan, the organiser of the demonstration which was held despite permission being refused by the city authorities.

“ … on October 15, 2005 in Krasnodar, a non-sanctioned demonstration against [the proposed] gay parade in Moscow took place,” the written complaint said.  “During the demonstration A. Gayamyan publicly committed actions directed to incite hatred towards a social group.

“In particular, during his speech on Krasnaya Street next to the monument to Black Sea Kazak Army at 17.10 in the evening he said the following: We are not homophobes.  Homophobia means fear of pederasts because phobia is a fear.  We are with you not scared of anything and anyone. We despise this scum and do not want them to walk in our sacred places.  No to parade of pederastsd!

“We consider that the actions of Gayamyan constitutes a crime and is against Article 282 of the Criminal Code of Russia – incitement of hatred as well as humiliation of human dignity,” Mr. Alekseev said.

“Gayamyan intentionally, due to his hostility towards homosexuals and having some public influence, organized the demonstration with the aim to incite social hatred towards particular social group.”

“Additionally, Gayamyan has announced his intention to conduct a similar event on November 19. so we urged the General Prosecution Department to take whatever steps it could  to prevent this event taking place on Saturday.

During today’s meeting with the prosecutor, copies of the papers distributed during the demonstration in Krasnodar on October 15, as well as a five minute video of the speech of Albert Gayamyan addressing the demonstrators, were handed over.

“Organisers of the Moscow LGBT festival to harshly – and legally – react to any homophobic attack directed at gays and lesbians as well as against the festival itself,” said Alekseev, who also heads GayRussia.Ru.

The start of any criminal case on the basis of Krasnodar events will be the first ever case brought by the Russian Prosecution Department for the protection against homophobia.

SEE ALSO

Anti-Gay Protest Goes Ahead in Krasnodar Despite Ban - Only 30 Turn Up.  Anti-gay protestors defied a ban imposed by the Krasnodarski region authorities and rallied as promised in Krasnodar today.  Earlier in the week, organisers of the “patriots-homophobes” demonstration had predicted that 500 would turn up to protest the staging of a Gay Pride in Moscow, some 1,500 kilometres away. (UK Gay News, October 15, 2005))

Krasnodar’s Anti-Gay Protest Turns Out Low Key Under Watchful Eye of Militia, by Nikolai Alekseev.  Yesterday’s anti-gay protest in Krasnodar was banned by the authorities on the technicality that one of the groups organising the demonstration had been ordered by the courts to be closed down.  So there was one obvious question I had when I arrived at the monument to the Black Sea Kazak Army in the city and found the local law enforcement officers there. (UK Gay News, October 16, 2005)

Likening Gays to Fascists Made Me So Furious.  Commentary  by  Nikolai  Alekseev  of GayRussia.ru on his trip to Krasnodar.  When I saw the slogan at the anti-gay protest in Krasnodar that organisers of next year’s Moscow Pride want revenge for fascist’s defeat over 60 years ago, I was not just amazed – I was furious. (UK Gay News, October 17, 2005)

EXTERNAL LINKS

Gay Russia website (English)