Council of Europe condemns anti gay action in Moscow

"We are in contact with the Council of Europe for a few months. After the first letter of support sent by Giovanni di Stasi, we are extremely pleased with today' support from the Secretary General. Today is an important day as we have officially applied for the Moscow Pride at 10.40am Moscow time at the City Hall" commented Nikolai Alekseev.

Strasbourg : "I strongly condemn the recent violent incidents against gays and lesbians in Moscow, and I call on the authorities to investigate these attacks and prosecute the people responsible for them, and prevent any such violence in the future.

This is particularly important in view of the series of events currently being organised by the Russian gay and lesbian community to raise awareness about the difficult situation in which they live. They are entitled to call for full and unequivocal respect for their basic rights and freedoms.

The violent homophobic protests in recent weeks were neither isolated nor spontaneous. They have taken place against the background of a sustained campaign against the rights of gay and lesbian citizens. It is regrettable that several people who should normally be the first to speak out against such blatant injustice, have decided instead to endorse and actively support homophobic ideas" concluded Terry Davis.

Council of Europe Press Division / GayRussia.Ru

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