Gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev has submitted an application to City Hall to hold a rally to "disseminate the words of President Vladimir Putin" in defense of gays, apparently challenging authorities to allow a rally showing support for gays.
The application was prompted by Putin's remarks at a meeting with nonparliamentary parties on Wednesday, when he said discrimination against "people of nontraditional sexual orientations" must not be allowed.
The application asks to hold the rally on Dec. 4 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., with an expected turnout of up to 20 people. City Hall has three working days to respond to the request.
Alexeyev wrote on Twitter that "if Moscow authorities forbid us from publicly expressing and disseminating in society the direct quotes of Russia's president, we will all be witnesses to the complete absurdity of the current situation, absolute disrespect of the fundamental rights of freedom of assembly and freedom of speech."
Alexeyev's request may put Moscow authorities in an awkward position, as Wednesday's meeting saw Putin respond to criticism of Russia's human rights record in an apparent bid to defuse international disapproval.
In response to international claims that a law banning ''gay propaganda" has spurred a series of attacks against Russia's LGBT community, Putin said "all that we did at the governmental, the legislative level had to do with limiting propaganda among minors," Interfax reported.
"Not on a single score should we create this kind of xenophobia in society against anyone, including against people of nontraditional sexual orientation," he said.
Putin also told political opposition leaders he would "look at" the charges against 70 people whom rights groups consider political prisoners.
The meeting gathered the leaders of the major nonparliamentary political parties, including Vladimir Ryzhkov of RPR-Parnas, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov of Civil Platform and Sergei Mitrokhin of Yabloko.
Opposition activist Alexei Navalny was not invited to the meeting because his People's Alliance is not a registered party.
Ryzhkov handed Putin a list of 70 convicts and detainees in Russia's prisons and jails whom human rights groups have designated as political prisoners.
The list presented during the meeting was not immediately available, but Russian media reported that it could match the list of 70 "political prisoners" prepared by human rights group Memorial, which included members of the punk rock band Pussy Riot, Greenpeace activists arrested during a protest in the Arctic, and participants of last year's opposition rallies.
"I will certainly take a look at this, and in the most attentive way," Putin told Ryzhkov.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
