Gay tourists threatened with jail in Russia

July 21 2013
by Marc Dedonder

The news won't have escaped you. At the beginning of July, Russian President Vladimir Putin enacted one of the most repressive laws against LGBT rights: from now on, everything that is considered to be pro-gay is forbidden in Russia, a speech, a poster, a demonstration, holding hands in the street, kissing each other or putting out a gay flag in public.

In practical terms, the legislation now allows the authorities to arrest anyone who falls under the law, gay or not gay, Russian or foreign. In addition to heavy fines, foreigners can be detained for up to 14 days before being expelled from the country!

This applies to gay activists who want to support Russian activists, but also to simple tourists. Or for athletes and members of delegations who will participate in the Sochi Olympic Games this winter. Some associations are calling on the International Olympic Committee to react a little more vigorously than it has done so far, some are even calling for a boycott of the 2014 Winter Games

The American actress Tilda Swinton, photo published on Twitter on July 04, 2013

The mayor of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, is threatening to sever ties with the city of Moscow. Ireland has decided to warn its citizens. Nothing on the site Conseils aux Voyageurs of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs...

But if you dream of visiting Red Square or getting lost in the maze of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, you now know what to expect.

In the United States, an association calls for a boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow