Police raids took place in Moscow on nightclubs frequented by the LGBT community as well as in a sauna for men, in what appears to be a coordinated operation, Russian media announced on Saturday December 2.
This comes two days after the ban in the country of “international LGBT movement” for extremism, in the midst of a conservative offensive targeting these communities.
In a nightclub in the Russian capital, the police “stopped the music” and began searching the premises, a witness told the media Ostorozhno Novosti. The agents photographed the passports of those present, he said.
Closure of a gay nightclub
At least three establishments and a men’s sauna were targeted by these raids, according to media reports SOTA And Ostorozhno Novosti. Agence France-Presse was not immediately able to verify this information.
On Friday evening, the Central Station nightclub, one of the oldest gay clubs in St. Petersburg, announced its closure due to the ban on “international LGBT movement”.
A law, denounced as an instrument of homophobic repression, already prohibited “propaganda” of “non-traditional sexual relations”under penalty of a fine, but Thursday’s ban paves the way for prison sentences.
In Russia, repression against LGBT people is getting tougher, with the country positioning itself as a standard bearer of values “traditional” in the face of the supposed decadence of the West.
The last decade has seen their rights drastically limited, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, supported by the Orthodox Church.