A magistrates’ court in Moscow has fined the manager of the MangaLIB online library, Ivan Kvast, 200,000 rubles (approximately US$2,200) under the article on “promotion of non-traditional sexual relations” among adults (part 3 of article 6.21 of the Code of Administrative Offences). This was reported by Baza.
The case was prompted by the Japanese comic “The Girl Married to the Snake,” which was available on the platform. The court ruled that the depiction in the manga of a relationship between a human and a mythological creature fell under its definition of “non-traditional.” The judge clarified that this concept covers any sexual relationships that are not those between a man and a woman.
This is not Kvast’s first fine under similar cases. He has previously been fined 400,000 and 600,000 rubles (approximately US$4,300 and US$6,500).
The MangaLIB platform has also been fined as a legal entity: in June, the Tagansky District Court in Moscow fined the service 14 million rubles (around US$150,000) in seven cases. The basis for the fines were mangas which, according to Roskomnadzor, depicted same-sex relationships and scenes of a sexual nature. These included “Banana Fish,” “Reincarnation in the Coliseum,” and “Revolutionary Girl Utena.” After this, the website administration announced the introduction of mandatory moderation of new content, as well as an option to report content.
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.
Search
