"A woman in Russia has reportedly been fined under the country's anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda law for five-year-old posts on social media of rainbow flag images. As reported by independent outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe, known for its critical coverage of the Russian government, a court in the city of Cherkessk in the Karachay-Cherkessia region heard the unnamed woman shared "symbols of the extremist LGBT community" under a pseudonym."
"In November 2023, Russia's Supreme Court declared it would define the "international public LGBT movement" - which is not a specific, organised group - as "extremist", saying "signs and manifestations" by LGBTQ+ people were of an "extremist nature" and which led to "incitement of social and religious discord". The law came into effect in January 2024 and in essence made any and all LGBTQ+ activism illegal in Russia."
"In recent months, bar staff and venue owners at LGBTQ+ spaces have been jailed, more than 50 club-goers have been detained whilst attending queer club nights, language-learning app Duolingo was forced to remove inclusive content, Apple was fined millions of roubles for unknown reasons, children's cartoon My Little Pony has been labelled 18+, the Elton John AIDS Foundation was banned for being "undesirable" and a gay student was expelled from university for posting make-up videos."
A woman in Cherkessk was fined 1,000 rubles for social media posts from five years earlier that included rainbow flag images and an image of two women kissing. The posts were made under a pseudonym and were characterized as sharing "symbols of the extremist LGBT community". Russia's Supreme Court designated the international public LGBT movement as "extremist" in November 2023, and a law enacted January 2024 has effectively criminalized LGBTQ+ activism. Since enforcement began, authorities have carried out censorship, arrests, fines, prison sentences, and other punitive measures against LGBTQ+ people and allied organizations.
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