A court in Siberia has issued Russia’s first-ever prison sentence under the country’s ban on the so-called “international LGBT movement,” according to the independent news outlet Mediazona.
The Russian Supreme Court declared the “international LGBT movement” an “extremist” organization in November 2023, adding it to the official list of terrorist and banned groups.
On January 30, the Yaysky District Court in the Kemerovo region convicted an unnamed individual of “LGBT extremism,” sentencing them to six years in a maximum-security prison, Mediazona reported.
The individual was already serving an 18-year sentence for child sex abuse. The court combined the sentences, resulting in a total of 15 years in prison.
According to the regional Federal Security Service (FSB), the convict, while serving their previous sentence, had allegedly involved Russian citizens in activities linked to the “international LGBT movement,” which authorities now classify as extremist.
LGBTQ+ rights in Russia have been in steady decline since President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning “LGBT propaganda” aimed at minors in 2013.
