Russian Human Rights Organization Supports Gay Pride
24/04/2006
Submitted by
Nikolay Alekseev, Human Rights LGBT Project GayRussia.ru
Russian Human Rights Organization Supports Gay Pride
Moscow Human Rights Bureau became the first Russian human rights organization to voice its support for next month’s Moscow Pride Parade.
Bureau director Alexander Brod has written to Pride organisers condemning the intention of the Moscow city authorities to prevent the parade on May 27.
“The parade’s goal is to focus the attention of the authorities and society on the rights of sexual minorities in the Russian Federation and to become an addition step towards promoting tolerance,” Mr. Brod wrote.
He pointed out that on February 16, Sergei Tsoi, the press secretary to the mayor of Moscow, made the dogmatic statement that “the Moscow authorities will not allow conducting gay- parade under no circumstances and not in what form”.
The Moscow Human Rights Bureau said that this statement is in direct contradiction of the Russian Federation constitution which ensures, in article 31, the right of citizens “to gather peacefully, without weapons, to carry out meetings, meetings and demonstrations and processions and picketing”.
The Bureau also points out the breach of article 19 “since, forbidding the gay parade, City Hall disrupts not only the right to freedom of meetings but also to the right of being free from discrimination.
Furthermore, Moscow Human Rights Bureau considers that “such a position is strange Moscow City Hall turned a blind eye to the behaviour of a march on November 4, 2005 that featured racist, xenophobic and even fascist slogans and banners, while saying that they will ban a peaceful march on May 27”.
Pride organisers are pleased with the support of the Bureau – and hope that other Russian human rights groups will also censure the intentions of the Moscow city authorities to ban the Gay Pride parade.
Already, two leading international human rights organisations – Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International – have censured the mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, for his stated intentions to prohibit the parade.
The official request to stage the Gay Pride parade will be made to the Moscow city authorities 15 days before the event.
Original article published at : http://www.gayrussia.ru/en/news/detail.php?ID=4618
GayRussia.Ru
Moscow Human Rights Bureau became the first Russian human rights organization to voice its support for next month’s Moscow Pride Parade.
Bureau director Alexander Brod has written to Pride organisers condemning the intention of the Moscow city authorities to prevent the parade on May 27.
“The parade’s goal is to focus the attention of the authorities and society on the rights of sexual minorities in the Russian Federation and to become an addition step towards promoting tolerance,” Mr. Brod wrote.
He pointed out that on February 16, Sergei Tsoi, the press secretary to the mayor of Moscow, made the dogmatic statement that “the Moscow authorities will not allow conducting gay- parade under no circumstances and not in what form”.
The Moscow Human Rights Bureau said that this statement is in direct contradiction of the Russian Federation constitution which ensures, in article 31, the right of citizens “to gather peacefully, without weapons, to carry out meetings, meetings and demonstrations and processions and picketing”.
The Bureau also points out the breach of article 19 “since, forbidding the gay parade, City Hall disrupts not only the right to freedom of meetings but also to the right of being free from discrimination.
Furthermore, Moscow Human Rights Bureau considers that “such a position is strange Moscow City Hall turned a blind eye to the behaviour of a march on November 4, 2005 that featured racist, xenophobic and even fascist slogans and banners, while saying that they will ban a peaceful march on May 27”.
Pride organisers are pleased with the support of the Bureau – and hope that other Russian human rights groups will also censure the intentions of the Moscow city authorities to ban the Gay Pride parade.
Already, two leading international human rights organisations – Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International – have censured the mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, for his stated intentions to prohibit the parade.
The official request to stage the Gay Pride parade will be made to the Moscow city authorities 15 days before the event.
Original article published at : http://www.gayrussia.ru/en/news/detail.php?ID=4618
GayRussia.Ru
