Brody's Notes... Russian Court Upholds Ban On Moscow Pride Parade

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) May 27 | The Russian News Agency Interfax is reporting that Moscow's Tagansky Court has upheld a decision by the city's authorities to ban a gay pride parade planned for this Sunday. According to the Executive Officer of Moscow pride and CEO of Gay Russia, Nikolay Alexeyev;

"This was a denial. The court found lawful the Central Administrative District prefecture's ban on our three pickets in the center of Moscow," Alexeyev said.

Alexeyev also noted that he would appeal the ruling with a higher court and with the European Court of Human Rights. 

"Naturally, we will appeal this decision. I hope we will reach the European Court as well," he said.

Alexeyev said the parade would still take place despite the ban.

"Just as we conducted our actions [previously], we will continue to conduct them even despite the absence of permission," he said.

In a crowded Press Conference held at Moscow’s Holiday Inn on Lesnaya Street after the ruling, Peter Tatchell, the coordinator of the British LGBT Human Rights Group OutRage!, and Human Rights Spokesperson for the Green Party of England and Wales, told reporters that the Yury  Luzhkov, Mayor of the City of Moscow;

“...should be put on trial for banning Pride – the real criminals are not the organisers of Moscow Pride, but the Mayor and the judges who uphold this illegal ban.”

Tatchell then took aim at Russian President Medvedev & Russian Prime Minister Putin:

“I call on the Russian President and Prime Minister to show leadership by publicly condemning the ban and by calling on the mayor of Moscow to guarantee freedom of expression and the right to protest to the gay, and straight, citizens of Moscow and Russia. I call on them to reaffirm the human rights of all Russian people, many whose rights are under threat.”

Mr. Tatchell went on to say that Russia is a great nation with a proud and great history.

“So many important figures in Russian history have been gay, including Sergei Eisenstein, Peter Tchaikovsky, Rudolph Nureyev, Sergei Dagialev, Modest Mussorgsky,  and Nikolai Gogol.  These are just a few of the many great gay and bisexual icons of Russian history and culture. Their contributions to Russian history deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated,” he said.

German MP Volker Beck said that the ban again this year, and the banning of three small pickets, was not only a breach of Russian law on freedom of assembly, but also of the European Convention on Human Rights, which Russia signed as a member country.

“We have a clear precedent from the European Court of Human Rights in the case of the ban of the Warsaw Gay Pride,” Mr. Beck said. It is the same case here in Moscow as it was in Poland.  the right to freedom of assembly for LGBT people has to be respected and the government has to ensure it manages security. Security cannot be an excuse for banning a peaceful event and Russia will lose the case at the European Court because of the wrong decision of the mayor."

Beck told the journalists that:

 "We are here to support this right to freedom of assembly and I can understand the anger of Nikolai Alekseev and the activists of the organisation Gay-Russia that the support of the international community is weak. The International community can no longer ignore the basic breach of freedom that LGBT people face in Moscow simply because of geopolitical concerns.  The European Convention on Human Rights applies in Russia in the same way it applies in Lithuania or Romania.”