Two bar workers arrested in Russia’s first LGBTQ ‘extremism’ case
Al Jazeera
The suspects will remain in custody until May 18 and face as long as 10 years in prison if found guilty.
A Russian court has ordered the arrest of a bar administrator and its art director, accusing them of organising an “extremist organisation” under new legislation criminalising the LGBTQ community.
It is the first criminal case launched since Russia banned the so-called “international LGBT movement” in November, amid an accelerating crackdown on LGBTQ people.
“The court chose a preventive measure for the art director and administrator of the ‘Pose’ bar,” the Orenburg tribunal said on Wednesday. The two will remain in custody until May 18 and face up to 10 years in prison, according to the court in southwestern Russia.
The tribunal earlier accused them of “promoting non-traditional sexual relations among the visitors of the bar”.
Police raided the bar earlier this month, and videos of the humiliating detentions of some of the club visitors circulated online.
