Has Moscow Pride finally won government approval?

Arrest of Nikolai Alekseev at via Wikipedia

Source: UK Gay News

By Andy Harley

UPDATE

The Moscow city authorities have given the go ahead to this year’s Moscow Gay Pride, it was announced this morning.

But according to Interfax-Religion, no permission has been granted.  The news agency is reporting that an un-named source at the Moscow Regional Security Department said: “They have not received permission ... And they are not likely to get it.”

The Russian-language Gazeta is reporting that permission has been granted.

Moscow Pride is due to be staged as a “cultural and educational public campaign” on Saturday May 28 in the city between 13:00 and 15:00.

“We welcome the historic decision by the city authorities,” Nikolai Alekseev, organizer of Moscow Pride, said this morning, prior to the Interfax report.

“Now the government must provide adequate security for participants in the event, in accordance with the decision of the Court [European Court of Human Rights].

Application to stage the event was made to City Hall and the police on April 12, the day after the European Court of Human Rights rejected “an appeal” by Russia to its previous ruling in the case Alekseev vs Russia that the banning of Moscow Gay Prides in 2006, 2007 and 2008 contravened the European Human Rights Convention.

Mr. Alekseev revealed this morning that the Moscow authorities had asked the organisers to limit the number of participants to 500.  This was agreed, he added.

“The aim of the event will provide the public with objective information about the history of homosexuality in relation to culture and science, the contribution of famous gay people in culture and art, as well as the role of well-known figures of culture and art to protect the rights of LGBT people,” Mr. Alekseev said.

The five previous attempts to stage a Gay Pride in Moscow resulted in bans by the then Mayor, Yuri Luzhkov.  He infamously described Pride as “satanic gatherings”.

Last October, Sergei Sobyanin was appointed Mayor of Moscow following the dismissal of Luzhkov.

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