In Russia, violence against LGBT + people is relatively common and fueled by conservatives and religious circles.
Russian authorities on Monday classified the country’s main LGBT + rights organization as a “foreign agent,” which is expected to complicate its work.
The LGBT-Set organization, which was founded in 2006 and operates in various regions of the country, has been included in the Ministry of Justice’s registry of “foreign agents”, which includes both NGOs and the media, activists, lawyers and journalists.
According to its website, LGBT-Set offers legal and psychological assistance to LGBT + people and their families, conducts awareness campaigns and collects information on discrimination based on sexual orientation in Russia.
In February, the organization denounced the arrest of two Chechens, who were later transferred in unclear conditions to Chechnya, a Russian republic in the Caucasus known for its persecution of homosexuals.
Classification as a “foreign agent” obliges affected organizations, media or individuals to advertise this condition in all their publications, including social networks, and to comply with tedious administrative procedures.
This designation, reminiscent of the USSR’s “enemy of the people”, is intended for those who receive “foreign funding” and engage in “political activities”, both vague terms.
In Russia, violence against LGBT + people is relatively common and fueled by conservatives and religious circles.
The Russian Justice Ministry also classified several lawyers close to the Russian opposition as “foreign agents” on Monday. (I)
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