A dozen Moscow clubgoers were found guilty of “petty hooliganism” and detained following anti-LGBTQ « propaganda » raids by Russian security forces, according to Russian court documents and local news reports.
The group was arrested on Saturday night and early Sunday at three nightclubs — Arma, Inferno and Mono — in the Russian capital, according to a statement government officials gave to Tass, a Russian news agency.
“These citizens committed an administrative offense, which was expressed in obvious disrespect for society, accompanied by obscene language in a public place,” a Moscow court wrote in two statements announcing the guilty verdicts.
The raids were executed exactly a year after Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ activists and the LGBTQ “movement” should be designated as extremists. Russians found guilty of extremism can be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison.
Videos and images of the raids shared on social media over the weekend showed stunned clubgoers lying on dance floors with their hands above their heads as police officers sifted through the crowds and shouted orders.
Baza, an anonymously run Telegram news channel that has over 1.5 million followers, reported that police blocked club exits and interrogated clubgoers at Arma before detaining dozens. Clubgoers who were not brought into custody were allowed to leave Arma roughly three hours after the raid began, according to Baza. (Arma, then known as Mutabor, was the site of the 2022 “almost naked” party, which drew fierce criticism after Russian celebrities, influencers and socialites attended clad in revealing clothing months after the invasion of Ukraine.)
Monday was not the first time the Russian government has coordinated a clampdown on “LGBT propaganda.” Shortly after the Supreme Court ruling last year, gay bars in cities across Russia were similarly raided by police. Sporadic raids have reportedly persisted throughout the country since then.
Critics viewed last year’s Supreme Court ruling as part of a wider crackdown on LGBTQ rights in Russia under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, who has been in power for roughly a quarter of a century. Notably, the Russian government passed legislation in 2013 known as the “gay propaganda law,” making it illegal “to spread information about nontraditional sexual behavior” to minors. The law was expanded to apply to adults, effectively banning public symbols or gestures of “nontraditional sexual relations.” Russians who violate the so-called propaganda law could face up to 400,000 rubles ($6,500) in fines.
Last month, Putin signed additional legislation that bans nationals from countries that allow gender transitions to adopt Russian children.
