St. Petersburg court bans distribution of ballet video from Berlin embassy
The Krasnogvardeisky District Court in St. Petersburg ruled that distributing a ballet video linked to the embassy in Berlin is prohibited. The decision was reported by Darya Lebedeva, who heads the joint press service for the St. Petersburg courts, via the court’s Telegram channel.
The court determined that the video of a conversation contained material that increases interest in non-traditional relationships. In Russia, LGBT groups are treated as extremist and terrorist organizations and are banned across the country. Lebedeva noted that in the YouTube video, the timing of the ballet was aligned with an action criticized as being against LGBT rights in Russia.
On May 9 administrative protocols were issued against the online cinemas Wink and Kinopoisk due to LGBT propaganda. The penalties for services that promote non-traditional relationships online include fines ranging from 1 million to 4 million rubles or an administrative suspension of activity for up to 90 days.
Earlier, these online cinemas had already faced fines for disseminating information about LGBT people to minors. The protocols referenced screenings of films featuring LGBT content without an explicit 18+ designation.
Earlier reports also indicated that the Investigative Committee would conduct a review of Sorokin’s novel Inheritance to determine any potential legal concerns.