politics
Russian Court Jails Three for Organizing Activities of Banned LGBT Movement at Orenburg Nightclub
@Independent reported that a court in Orenburg sentenced the owner and two staff members of the Pose nightclub to prison terms of up to seven years. The Monday ruling found them guilty of organizing activities of an extremist organization.
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A Russian court sentenced the owner and two employees of the Pose LGBT nightclub in Orenburg to prison terms ranging from two years and three months to seven years, @Independent reported. The court announced on Monday that Vyacheslav Khasanov, 37, the club's owner, received seven years in jail and a fine of 1 million roubles.
Club manager Diana Kamilyanova, 30, was sentenced to six years and three months, while art director Alexander Klimov, 23, received two years and three months.
All three defendants denied guilt. The arrests followed a police raid on the club two years earlier. Pose had operated since 2021 and was raided again in March 2024 by Orenburg regional authorities and Russia's National Guard.
Russia's Supreme Court designated the LGBT movement as extremist in 2023. The court stated the defendants had organized events under the guise of running a nightclub centered on demonstrating affiliation with people of non-traditional sexual orientation. Russian LGBT rights lawyers said the Orenburg case will serve as a precedent for future prosecutions against LGBT people and their advocates.
