On 4 September, the Nagatinsky District Court of Moscow fined local resident Anna Sidorova under four charges of “LGBT propaganda” online (Part 3, Article 6.21 of the Administrative Code). This was reported by OVD-Info.
According to the court, Sidorova published “saved posts” on her VKontakte page that were “aimed at promoting LGBT and non-traditional sexual orientation.” The young woman’s page has now been deleted.
The court described that one image “showed two half-naked men engaging in sexual acts.” On another, there was “a man participating in an LGBT parade” holding a flag of the LGBTQ community.
The third and fourth images were memes. One of them showed a “little sitting person,” according to the court. The character was looking at a computer screen, reading the words: “Straight,” “Gay.” In the fourth segment of a photo divided into squares, the LGBT flag was depicted.
Another meme featured a photo of Putin and Trump lying in bed together. A dialogue took place between them:
—Do you definitely recognise <…>? (most likely referring to Crimea)
—Of course, darling!
In court, Anna Sidorova explained that she had published the “saved posts” when she was a minor. She expressed remorse, stating that she “did not fully realise her actions and their consequences,” and had not deleted the photos because she forgot about them. Sidorova also said she has now removed all “saved posts” from her page.
She was fined under all four protocols. However, the court withheld the fine amount.
Asya Sokolova for OVD-Info
The adoption of the “LGBT propaganda” law marked not only widespread censorship but also intensified repression against LGBTQ people and the organisations that support them. With the designation of the “International LGBT Movement” as an “extremist organisation,” this pressure has increased once again.
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