The owner of a gay club in Chita, a city in eastern Siberia, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Tatyana Zorina, the 23-year-old owner of a now-closed gay club in Chita, a city in eastern Siberia, has been sentenced to four years in prison. This was reported by Chita.ru.

The Ingodinsky District Court found the young woman guilty of organising the activities of an extremist organisation (Part 1, Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code). According to investigators, she organised events and managed the social media accounts of the Jackson gay club. A friend of Zorina said that she initially worked there as a DJ, and after buying the business, she took over management and costumes.

Zorina awaited the court’s verdict under house arrest. She was taken into custody in the courtroom. She has also been banned for four years from engaging in activities related to the management of public organisations and administration of internet pages, and after her release, she will face supervised freedom for one and a half years.

In October 2024, a raid was carried out at Jackson, during which Zorina was detained. The “Russian Community” movement and pro-government blogger Vladislav Pozdnyakov published videos showing law enforcement officers humiliating the club’s staff.