The first publicly known cases have emerged of Russian authorities penalizing people under a court ruling that outlawed LGBTQ+ activism as extremism, Russian media and rights groups have reported, with at least three people who displayed rainbow-colored items receiving jail time or fines.
The Supreme Court ruling in November banned what the government called the LGBTQ+ "movement" operating in Russia and labeled it as an extremist organization. The ruling was part of a crackdown on LGBTQ+ people in the increasingly conservative country where "traditional family values" have become a cornerstone of President Vladimir Putin's 24-year rule.
Russian laws prohibit public displays of symbols of extremist organizations, and LGBTQ+ rights advocates have warned that those displaying rainbow-colored flags or other items might be targeted by the authorities.
On Monday, a court in Saratov, a city 730 kilometers (453 miles) southeast of Moscow, handed a 1,500-ruble (roughly US$16) fine to artist and photographer Inna Mosina over several Instagram posts depicting rainbow flags, Russia's independent news site Mediazona reported. The case contained the full text of the Supreme Court ruling, which named a rainbow flag the "international" symbol of the LGBTQ+ "movement."
Mosina and her defense team maintained her innocence, according to the reports. Mosina said the posts were published before the ruling, at a time when rainbow flags were not regarded by authorities as extremist, and her lawyer argued that a police report about her alleged wrongdoing was filed before the ruling took force. The court ordered her to pay the fine nonetheless.
Last week, a court in Nizhny Novgorod, some 400 kilometers (248 miles) east of Moscow, ordered Anastasia Yershova to serve five days in jail on the same charge for wearing rainbow-colored earrings in public, Mediazona reported. In Volgograd, 900 kilometers (559 miles) south of Moscow, a court fined a man 1,000 rubles (about US$11) for allegedly posting a rainbow flag on social media, local court officials reported Thursday, identifying the man only as Artyom P.
The crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Putin's Russia has persisted for more than a decade.
In 2013, the Kremlin adopted the first legislation restricting LGBTQ+ rights, known as the "gay propaganda" law, banning any public endorsement of "nontraditional sexual relations" among minors. In 2020, constitutional reforms pushed through by Putin to extend his rule by two more terms included a provision to outlaw same-sex marriage.
After sending troops into Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin ramped up a campaign against what it called the West's "degrading" influence, in what rights advocates saw as an attempt to legitimize the war. That year, the authorities adopted a law banning propaganda of "nontraditional sexual relations" among adults, effectively outlawing any public endorsement of LGBTQ+ people.
Another law passed in 2023 prohibited gender transitioning procedures and gender-affirming care for transgender people. The legislation prohibited "medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person," as well as changing one's gender in official documents and public records. It also amended Russia's Family Code by listing gender change as a reason to annul a marriage and adding those "who had changed gender" to a list of people who can't become foster or adoptive parents.
"Do we really want to have here, in our country, in Russia, `Parent No. 1, No. 2, No. 3' instead of `mom' and `dad?"' Putin said in September 2022. "Do we really want perversions that lead to degradation and extinction to be imposed in our schools from the primary grades?"
The man accused in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump at a golf course in Florida left behind a note saying that he intended to kill the former president and maintained in his car a handwritten list of dates and venues where Trump was to appear, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday.
A six-year-old boy from northeastern Manitoba who had been missing since last Wednesday has been found dead.
The co-founder of the company that owned the experimental submersible that imploded en route to the wreckage of the Titanic said Monday the company zeroed in on the use of carbon fibre for the doomed vessel because the company wanted a lightweight, less costly submersible that did not need to be tethered to an expensive mother ship.
Toronto police have released video footage of a suspect who allegedly stole a taxi in the city’s downtown core over the weekend.
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A new charter challenge set to get underway on Monday will test the constitutionality of a controversial Ontario law that allows hospitals to place discharged patients into long-term care homes not of their choosing or face a $400-per-day charge if they refuse.
A rare polar bear that was spotted outside a cottage in a remote village in Iceland was shot by police after being considered a threat, authorities said Friday.
Israeli strikes on Monday killed more than 270 Lebanese in the deadliest barrage since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war as the Israeli military warned residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate their homes ahead of a widening air campaign against Hezbollah.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump said on Sunday that he doesn't 'think' he'd run again for president in 2028 if he falls short in his bid to return to the White House in 2024.
A six-year-old girl who was reported missing in northern B.C. last week has been found safe, police said Sunday evening.
Toronto police have released video footage of a suspect who allegedly stole a taxi in the city’s downtown core over the weekend.
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The Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its latest Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin – made entirely from gold sourced from a single mine in northern Ontario
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The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.
The man accused in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump at a golf course in Florida left behind a note saying that he intended to kill the former president and maintained in his car a handwritten list of dates and venues where Trump was to appear, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday.
Japan said its warplanes used flares to warn a Russian reconnaissance aircraft to leave northern Japanese airspace on Monday.
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The co-founder of the company that owned the experimental submersible that imploded en route to the wreckage of the Titanic said Monday the company zeroed in on the use of carbon fibre for the doomed vessel because the company wanted a lightweight, less costly submersible that did not need to be tethered to an expensive mother ship.
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An American woman who went missing while on a hike on Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa has died and her body has been recovered, authorities said on Monday.
Justin Trudeau will turn his focus to the ongoing crises in Haiti as he speaks with some world leaders Monday ahead of the 78th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told delegates at the United Nations the world is at a global inflection point, having a choice between walking away from multilateralism or setting differences aside to confront serious global challenges.
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A new charter challenge set to get underway on Monday will test the constitutionality of a controversial Ontario law that allows hospitals to place discharged patients into long-term care homes not of their choosing or face a $400-per-day charge if they refuse.
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A Soyuz capsule carrying two Russians and one American from the International Space Station landed Monday in Kazakhstan, ending a record-breaking stay for the Russian pair.
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The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant said Friday that it plans to restart the reactor under a 20-year agreement that calls for tech giant Microsoft to buy the power to supply its data centers with carbon-free energy.
The sexual assault trial for Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard is expected to begin in northern Ontario this week, following a jury selection process.
Tim Burton's legacy sequel to the 1988 horror comedy topped the North American box office charts for a third
Two reports released Monday provide a mixed but compelling outlook on the wave of book removals and challenges as the annual Banned Books Week begins for schools, stores and libraries nationwide.
Ian Rosen is at ease wandering all four floors of the flagship Harry Rosen store his late grandfather started and his father built upon, but it's the lower level where he's really at home.
The head of the Air Canada pilots union says she'll step down if members opt not to approve a tentative deal with the airline, raising the stakes as aviators mull whether to accept hefty salary gains or drive an even harder bargain.
Are you struggling to create a budget that fits your life and schedule? Personal finance contributor Christopher Liew shares some simple budgeting methods and offer some tips to help you create, and follow, a budget plan.
One simple action involving your smartphone could help improve your mental health at work, according to a new study.
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The Toronto Raptors are planning to retire Vince Carter's jersey next month, sources tell TSN.
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The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday will propose a ban on the sale or import of smart vehicles that use specific Chinese or Russian technology because of national security concerns, according to U.S. officials.
Unifor says workers at General Motors' CAMI assembly plant and battery facility in southwestern Ontario have ratified a new collective agreement.
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A six-year-old boy from northeastern Manitoba who had been missing since last Wednesday has been found dead.
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Brantford, Ont. residents were met with an unexpected sight on Saturday evening as a suspected funnel cloud appeared in the skies above the city.
Waterloo Regional Police were called to a business located near Ottawa Street South and Fischer Hallman Road at around 4 p.m. Sunday.
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In early August, Gord Leaman proudly put up a billboard on his front lawn that says "Screw Trudeau, Screw Singh, Capitalism not Socialism, and White Lives Matter."
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As the cleanup continues from the Wheatley explosion in 2021, the project team says it has found what it believes is a wooden-cased petroleum well.
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A Victoria woman is now $1 million richer after winning a Maxmillions prize on a recent Lotto Max Draw.
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The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.
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Despite the heavy rain, plenty of muscle turned up for United Way’s annual Pull the Bus fundraiser in Lethbridge Friday.
Lethbridge County has rescinded its fire restriction as a result of the recent cool, wet weathr.
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This week marks the first full week of winter and with that, a sad ending to being summer tourists. Officials with Indigenous Tourism Ontario however say it was a banner summer for operators in the province.
The Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its latest Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin – made entirely from gold sourced from a single mine in northern Ontario
Newfoundland and Labrador sponsored a minor football team in England, now they’re about to play one of the biggest clubs in European soccer.
Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
A 16-year-old biennial event aimed at fostering business in the country's eastern Arctic and northern regions has been cancelled indefinitely as a dispute unfolds between Inuit in Canada and a Labrador group claiming to share their heritage.
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