Russia adds the ‘international LGBT movement’ to its financial intelligence service’s list of ‘terrorists and extremists’

(AFP / VOZ NEWS) Russia added the "international LGBT movement" to the list of "terrorists and extremists" and entities prepared by the financial intelligence service Rosfinmonitoring. This was confirmed on Friday by AFP, after consulting a note from the agency.

Rosfinmonitoring is dedicated, in its own words, to "countering money laundering and terrorism financing." In addition to coordinating the work of other entities, it can, according to The Moscow Times, freeze bank accounts. It reports directly to Vladimir Putin.

The decision was announced after the Russian Supreme Court declared this movement "extremist" in November, which in practice meant the making LGBT activism illegal in the country.

President Putin, recently re-elected for a new six-year term, has been saying for some time that he wants to defend "the family" and religion against a "decadent" and even "satanic" West.

Since 2013, a law in Russia prohibits "propaganda" among minors pertaining to "non-traditional sexual relations." This legislation was significantly expanded at the end of 2022 to prohibit any form of LGBT "propaganda" in the media, internet, books and films.

First case

On Wednesday, authorities announced that they had placed the managers of a bar in the Ural region in preventive detention, and they now face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison for LGBT "extremism."

According to the accusation, "The accused, people of non-traditional sexual orientation, acted in premeditation with a group of people … who also support the views and activities of the international public association LGBT."

It is the first criminal case under the new law, although several Russian citizens have been sentenced to fines in recent weeks for posting photos with rainbow flags or, in the case of two women, for posting a video of them kissing on the internet.