Russia has been ordered to pay 42,500 euros in damages by the European Court of Human Rights to three LGBTI rights groups for discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
The Russian Government which reportedly denied applications for registration from Rainbow House, the Movement for Marriage Equality, and the Sochi Pride House in the years 2006 till 2011, will now be forced to pay damages to the groups following the new ruling.
While claiming that the organisations would “destroy the moral values of society” or “undermine Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity… by decreasing its population,” the government also asserted in its rejection of the Movement for Marriage Equality’s application that LGBTI rights activities are “gay propaganda” and amount to “extremist activities.”
However, the court has since ruled that Russia’s actions had contravened the European Convention on Human Rights and discriminated against the groups, essentially violating their right to freedom of assembly and association.
The judges confirmed that despite Russia’s excuses, the Government’s acts, “could not be reasonably or objectively justified and had, moreover, amounted to discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.”
This is not the first time Russia has found itself under fire from the European Court of Human Rights. Notably, In 2017, Russia was also fined for banning LGBTI Pride events and marches. That same year, the court also ruled that the nations gay propaganda law which was introduced in 2013, is a violation of human rights.
