In a statement announcing a lawsuit filed to the court earlier this month, the Justice Ministry argued that authorities had identified “signs and manifestations of an extremist nature” by an LGBTQ+ “movement” operating in Russia,

Russia’s Supreme Court has ruled the global gay rights movement to be an “extremist organisation” on a legal par with al-Qaeda and Isis, outlawing any display of support for LGBT+ rights. Increasingly repressive measures have been introduced in Russia against the LGBT+ community,

Russia’s top court declared an “international LGBT public movement” to be an extremist organization, paving the way for a new wave of repression even as no such organization exists in the country.

Russia’s Supreme Court effectively outlaws LGBTQ+ activism in the country in a broad crackdown on beleaguered community.