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 Moscow Court Acquits Gays Arrested In Election
Protest
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: January 11, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET
(Moscow) A Moscow judge on Friday acquitted
13 gay activists arrested last month for staging a protest outside a polling
station during national elections.
The group was demonstrating (story)
against Vladimir Putin's United Russia party and several of the smaller parties
for refusing to advance LGBT rights in Russia. The protestors also wanted to
show their distain for Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov who was expected at the polling
station.
The protestors, led by Moscow gay pride organizer
Nikolai Alekseyev, were held in a room inside the polling station for
three-hours and then placed in a bus and taken to a police station where they
were held for an additional seven-hours.
The 13 were charged with staging an illegal
protest.
On Friday Judge Larisa Bogdanovich ruled police
had overreacted. Bogdanovich grilled two police officers who were in charge. They said that by arresting people they only followed the orders of the higher authorities within the
police department.
In the court's ruling Bogdanovich said the 13 did not have
"any agitation materials with them" such as placards and therefore had
not contravened the legal definition of "picketing".
Alekseev wrote on his ballot "“No to homophobes! No to
Luzhkov!" and then held it up for news crews to photograph. (pictured)
Following the acquittals, Luzhkov said that the
ruling was "our first considerable victory in courts in the legal fight with Moscow authorities and Moscow's Mayor personally."
He said that the 13 are now considering a law suit
against Moscow police for illegal arrest and detention.
Putin’s “United Russia” party overwhelmingly won
the parliamentary elections on 2 December though the local Moscow candidates of the party with Mr. Luzhkov as its head got slightly
fewer votes than the party candidates in the country in general.
Gays have been at logger heads with the
government for two years. Luzhkov has refused to allow gay pride celebrations in
the capital and courts have backed him up.
Moscow police arrested about 20 people last May
when they attempted to present a petition denouncing a decision to bar a gay
pride parade. In September a court ruled the city acted properly when it refused
to grant the permit. (story)
Alekseyev said the ruling is being taken to the
European Court of Human Rights.
Among those detained during the May demonstration
were Alexeyev and a number of foreign supporters including British gay advocate
Peter Tatchell and two European lawmakers.
They and about 100 other people gathered in a
park across from the office of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov to collect signatures
for the petition which already had been signed by about 40 members of the
European Parliament.
Waiting for them were members of extreme right
nationalist groups, Russian Orthodox churchgoers, and young militants.
The crowd pelted the gay group with eggs and
started a number of skirmishes until police moved in arresting the gay leaders.
Earlier this year a Moscow court tossed out a
lawsuit by Alekseyev and other activists accusing Lushkov of libel over claims
he made that gay rights marches were "satanic." (story)
In January during a Kremlin meeting before
leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church Lushkov said that gay rights marches were
"satanic," (story)
The speech was broadcast on Moscow television.
Lushkov then went on to blast gay unions.
"Some European nations bless
single-sex marriages and introduce sexual guides in schools," Lushkov said
in the speech broadcast on Moscow television. "Such things are a deadly
moral poison for children."
Last year, Lushkov refused to give a permit for
the gay parade citing security concerns.
Despite the ban, marchers attempted to hold a
parade. Police quickly moved in arresting marchers and counter protestors.
(story)
©365Gay.com 2008
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