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Russian LGBT Teen Support Site Deti-404 Blacklisted

Deti-404 / VK

A Russian website supporting LGBT teenagers has been blacklisted by the state media watchdog, Roskomnadzor.

Founded in 2013, online project Deti-404 provided help and support for young people in Russia who were questioning their sexuality. The site also published letters from LGBT teenagers as they documented the struggles and homophobia they faced in their everyday lives.

The site has repeatedly attracted the attention of Russian authorities, who claim that the project illegally promotes “non-traditional relationships” to children.

Writing on her VKontakte social media page, site founder Yelena Klimova said that the project had been found guilty of “spreading banned information,” but that the court had not explained the decision in detail.

“Most likely, the site will be suspended in Russia in the near future,” she wrote. We shall keep working.”

The decision was originally made by Siberia's Barnaul District Central Court in March 2016, but Roskomnadzor only contacted Klimova in relation to the case on Monday, she said.

Roskomnadzor previously tried to ban the site in February 2015 for “promoting suicide.” The project often features letters from teenagers who consider ending their lives after suffering homophobic abuse.

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