The defendants in Russia’s first case of participation in the “LGBT* movement” were given real sentences - up to 7 years in prison

A court in Orenburg sentenced three employees of the Pose bar - they were found guilty of organizing and participating in the activities of an “extremist organization” (Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

The owner of the establishment, 37-year-old Vyacheslav Khasanov, received the longest sentence of 7 years in prison. Bar administrator Diana Kamilyanova was sentenced to 6 years and months in prison, and art director Alexander Klimov was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months.

According to investigators, Kamilyanova filmed performances by drag queen artists, and the art director held meetings with the artists and promoted LGBT relationships on Telegram.

• Let us remind you that this is the first such case after the Supreme Court recognized the “LGBTQ movement” as extremist in November 2023.
• The persecution of Pose bar employees first became known in March 2024, as reported by the head of the Safe Internet League, Ekaterina Mizulina. Before this, activists from the “Russian Community of Orenburg” complained about the club; security forces came to raid the establishment.
• At the same time, the court stated that the arrested people themselves were “persons with a non-traditional sexual orientation,” and with their work in the bar they “support the views and activities of an international public association banned in our country.”

*The “LGBT movement” is recognized as an extremist organization in the Russian Federation, its activities are prohibited