Courts uphold Moscow's 100-year ban on gay pride parades

A Moscow city court has upheld a 100-year ban on gay pride parades in the Russian capital.

In August 2011, Russian gay activist Nikolay Alexeyev sought permits for 102 gay pride events in Moscow—essentially a rally every year until 2112. According to law, Moscow's municipal government had 15 days to approve said permits, which it chose not to do.

This week, Tverskoy district court ruled Moscow city officials were well within their rights to decline the permit applications for gay-themed gatherings in Bolotnaya Square, which even Alexeyev did not expect would be approved.

"We wanted to see the reaction so we could show the European Court of Human Rights that it’s not just past events which are banned illegally but also the future events," he told Gay Star News. "It was a way for us to show the absurdity of the system for gaining permission for public events."

Alexeyev plans to appeal the decision at the European Court on Human Rights later this year.


Follow Miranda Nelson on Twitter at @charenton_.You can also follow the Straight's LGBT coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/StraightLGBT.

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