Statement by the Yabloko Chairman, 1.12.2023

Illustration: “Two Women Running on the Beach” by Pablo Picasso, 1922

 The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, at the request of the Ministry of Justice, recognised the LGBT movement as extremist and banned its activities in the country. The decision took effect immediately.

The ideology and practices of persecuting people for love and feelings are within the general framework of repression against the dissent, the right to freedom of association and self-expression.

In Russia there is a medieval law prohibiting gender reassignment, which can now be carried out even in Iran and could be done in the USSR. For some, the lack of an opportunity to declare their orientation can cause severe psychological trauma and lead to a suicide.

It should be also noted that the Supreme Court of Russia, perhaps for the first time, recognised a non-existent organisation as extremist and banned its activities on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The court made its decision behind closed doors, in the absence of the defendant – which is natural, since it does not exist.

In addition, it has already been stated that the court’s decision will not be published in full – the plaintiff’s arguments and the court’s reasoning will remain unclear.

Thus, someone unknown and nobody knows why was banned.

However, people, whom someone may not like in some way, may suffer from such a decision. Because they may dress in a wrong way, or glance in a wrong way, or may say something wrong, or may think in a wrong way. Or will paint the wrong pictures, write the wrong poems or sing the wrong songs. More human lives will be broken.

The court’s decision must be overturned.

Nikolai Rybakov,

Yabloko Chairman

NIKOLAI RYBAKOV

is Chairman of the Yabloko party, member of the Federal Political Committee of the party, member of the Yabloko Bureau.

Head of the Yabloko Electoral Headquarters