In Russia, the first verdict in the case of the "LGBT community" was appealed

Protection of the defendants of the first criminal case in Russia "on the organization of the activities of the LGBT extremist community" filed an appeal against the verdict. The lawyers expressed their disagreement with the decision of the Central District Court of Orenburg, which had previously assigned real terms of imprisonment to the employees of the local bar.

This case was the first trial of this kind after the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized "international LGBT movement" extremist. The decision of the appellate instance will show how the new judicial practice will be applied in relation to entertainment venues and their staff.

The essence of the charges and the verdict

The investigation considered the usual work of the nightclub to be a "crime": recruiting staff, holding parties with drag shows, as well as publishing videos and photos on social networks that allegedly "promoted non-traditional relationships."

The case materials separately emphasized the sexual orientation of the defendants. For example, investigators publicly revealed Diana Kamilianova's orientation, indicating it in official documents, which led to problems with her relatives. Among the material evidence of guilt were laptops, smartphones, stage clothes, wigs and false breasts.

June 29 court Made a guilty verdict, appointing the defendants to terms ranging from two years three months to seven years of imprisonment in a general regime colony.

On June 29, a court found three employees of the Orenburg bar Pose guilty of organizing the activities of an "extremist organization" and participating in it (Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

• Vyacheslav Khasanov (club owner) — 7 years general regime colonies. About a million rubles were also confiscated from him, which the court considered "income from extremist activities."
• Diana Kamilianova (administrator) — 6 years and 3 months colony.
• Alexander Klimov (art director) — 2 years and 3 months colony.

All three were taken into custody in the courtroom. In addition to imprisonment, they were banned from holding administrative positions in the field of catering and entertainment. The Memorial Human Rights Project had previously recognized them as political prisoners.

How did the persecution go?

The first raid in Pose took place on March 9, 2024. It was attended by the police, riot police and activists of the nationalist organization "Russian Community". According to eyewitnesses, the security forces behaved extremely aggressively: visitors and employees were laid face down on the floor, beaten and insulted.

Later, telegram channels associated with the security forces published footage of the raid, which showed the faces of half-naked visitors and artists. The club employees themselves emphasized that Pose was the "last free place" in the city, where face control cut off only aggressive people, and not those who "do not fit into the standards."

• At the same time, the courts are considering cases of "propaganda" against TV channels and individuals, for example, in St. Petersburg, a person was fined for conducting a wedding ceremony for transgender people.
• По данным правозащитников, после запрета «движения» 94% ЛГБТ-людей в России начали скрывать свою идентичность, а число случаев шантажа и вымогательства в отношении геев выросло в десятки раз. Как говорят бывшие сотрудники клуба Pose, теперь россиянам наглядно показали: «быть самим собой опасно».