A statement circulated on Telegram by a Russian lawmaker claimed that after filing formal demands, a criminal case was opened against the Popcorn Books publishing house for LGBT propaganda. The claim described the development as a reaction to the publishing house’s activities that allegedly promoted non-traditional sexual relations and related topics.
The deputy summarized that the Ministry of Interior had invoked Article 6.21 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, citing propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and related themes as the basis for activity started on December 28 by the Golyanovo district police. He alleged the case also rested on Article 20.1, concerning petty hooliganism.
The lawmaker expressed hope that the case would proceed to court and result in consequences for Popcorn Books, which he described as a leading promoter of LGBT literature in the country. He argued that after a December law restricting the promotion of unconventional sexual relations took effect, Popcorn Books continued to sell such books and even placed quotations from Article 29, which protects freedom of expression and bans censorship, on their covers in defiance of the Constitution.
Constitution banning LGBT individuals
In late 2022, legislation was signed that bans LGBT propaganda, sex reassignment procedures, and pedophilia. Violators faced fines reaching up to 10 million rubles.
Reports later noted that Popcorn Books altered the covers of some titles after the law’s implementation. Specific titles reportedly showed excerpts from the fifth paragraph of Article 29 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of mass communication and prohibits censorship.
According to the publisher’s own statements, Popcorn Books, based in Moscow, focuses on fiction that touches on sensitive topics such as self-identification, racism, and attitudes toward the body.
Parliamentary investigators recalled that LitRes, a major platform for ebooks and audiobooks, asked authors to exercise self-censorship in line with the new restrictions. Separately, the OZONE marketplace began obscuring the covers of biographies of well-known figures such as Freddie Mercury and Elton John prior to the law taking effect.
“Open Fight”
On December 9, the same Telegram channel stated that Popcorn Books, with a catalog focused on LGBT literature, had chosen to openly challenge the Russian state and society. The lawmaker argued that freedom of expression does not equate to tolerance when it comes to certain ideas. He suggested that censorship could be invoked against any form of extremist or harmful material, and he contrasted this with other controversial content denied by the state.
The deputy characterized Popcorn Books’ stance as an attempt to frame the conflict as a struggle for free speech. He identified the director and founder of the publishing house as an outspoken dissident who has been labeled a foreign agent within Russia. He noted a significant share of the publishing house had been owned by an Irish company previously designated as a foreign agent, suggesting that anti-Russian forces were actively pushing LGBT promotion in the country and flouting national laws by showing defiance publicly.
The deputy concluded that he would pursue action and submitted requests to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rospotrebnadzor, and Roskomnadzor to bring Popcorn Books to justice. He asserted that the publisher’s activities could fall under two new articles of the Administrative Offenses Code, including propagation of unconventional sexual relations and propaganda related to gender reassignment or pedophilia. He stated that if Popcorn Books became the first prosecutable case, the State Duma deputy would pursue the case in full accordance with the law.