(Moscow) In the last of a series of complaints against the city of Moscow and Mayor Yury Luzhkov over the banning of gay demonstrations LGBT groups are asking the European Court of Human Rights to order the city to pay about $45,000 in compensation.

The current complaint involves the banning of a 2007 demonstration outside the Moscow building that houses an EU office where gay activists hoped to draw attention to the mayor’s refusal to allow a gay pride parade.

The court already has complaints before it over pride parade bans in 2006 and 2007 and event organizers say they intend to file another complaint over the city’s refusal to grant a parade permit this year.

The court, based in Strasbourg, France, has not indicated when it will hear any of the cases. In similar cases brought by gays in other European cities where pride parades were barred the court has ruled for the LGBT groups.

Mayor Lushkov has been a vocal opponent of the growing visibility of gays in Moscow.

Last year the mayor refused a parade license citing security concerns. Gays, many of them from the Europen Union,  marched anyway. About 20 people were arrested at the May 27 parade, including Moscow gay leader Nikolay Alexeyev, two European parliamentarians and British gay advocate Peter Tatchell.

Charges against the foreigners were later dropped and Alexeyev was fined $1000 rubles – about $40. (story)

Last year, in another case against the mayor a Moscow court tossed out a lawsuit accusing Lushkov of libel over claims he made that gay rights marches were “satanic.” (story)

The court ruled that Moscow Pride leaders had failed to prove that the remarks were incendiary or intended to vilify gays in general. 

In January, a Moscow judge acquitted 13 gay activists arrested last month for staging a protest outside a polling station during national elections. (story)