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Gay Rights Activist Wins Russian Court Case Over Canceled Pride Parade

Gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev as grand marshall of the Vancouver Pride Parade on Aug. 1, 2010.

The Sverdlovsk District Court of the city of Kostroma held that gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev should be financially compensated for the city's unlawful ban of a gay pride parade, according to a press release published Monday on GayRussia.ru.

According to the report, Alexeyev will receive more than 8,000 rubles ($200) in compensation for pecuniary damage and legal fees after the Kostroma regional court ruled that the city had illegally prohibited a gay pride parade and two protests against the so-called "gay propaganda law" in 2013.

Last month, unknown assailants attacked Alexeyev in the streets of Kostoma, Gazeta.ru reported. The activist had traveled to the city to take part in a hearing on his appeal against the cancellation of the planned parades and rallies, Gazeta.ru reported.

Last year Russia adopted legislation banning the "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations among minors," a law that human rights activists say further hindered the freedoms of the country's LGBT community.

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