First Russians jailed over rainbow-coloured items after LGBTQ ‘movement’ outlawed

Last week a court sentenced a woman to 5 days in jail for wearing rainbow earrings; on Monday, artist was fined over Instagram posts with rainbow flag

Supreme Court ruling in November banned what government called the LGBTQ ‘movement’ operating in Russia and labelled it as an extremist organisation

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Activists carry rainbow flags in St Petersburg, Russia in 2013. Russia’s Supreme Court effectively outlawed LGBTQ activism in November. Photo: AP

Published: 3:44am, 6 Feb 2024Updated: 4:02am, 6 Feb 2024

The first publicly known cases have emerged of Russian authorities penalising people under a court ruling that outlawed LGBTQ activism as extremism, Russian media and rights groups have reported, with at least three people who displayed rainbow-coloured items receiving jail time or fines.

The Supreme Court ruling in November banned what the government called the LGBTQ “movement” operating in Russia and labelled it as an extremist organisation.

The ruling was part of a crackdown on LGBTQ people in the increasingly conservative country where “traditional family values” have become a cornerstone of President Vladimir Putin’s 24-year rule.

Russian laws prohibit public displays of symbols of extremist organisations, and LGBTQ rights advocates have warned that those displaying rainbow-coloured flags or other items might be targeted by the authorities.

An activist stands with a rainbow flag in front of journalists during a protest in St Petersburg, Russia. Photo: AP

On Monday, a court in Saratov, a city 730km (453 miles) southeast of Moscow, handed a 1,500-ruble (roughly US$16) fine to artist and photographer Inna Mosina over several Instagram posts depicting rainbow flags, Russia’s independent news site Mediazona reported.