In Orenburg, a court has handed down a verdict in Russia’s first case of “LGBT extremism”

In Orenburg, a court has handed down a verdict in Russia’s first case of “LGBT extremism.”

The owner, administrator, and art director of the local bar Pose have been convicted after being charged with organizing events for a “banned organization,” the joint press service of the region’s courts of general jurisdiction reports.

The longest sentence, seven years in a penal colony, was given to bar owner Vyacheslav Khasanov. The venue’s administrator, Diana Kamilyanova, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison, while art director Aleksandr Klimov received two years and three months in a penal colony.

According to investigators, the defendants, knowing that the “international LGBT movement” had been banned in Russia, “under the guise of operating a nightlife venue organized events united by the common theme of demonstrating affiliation with persons of non-traditional sexual orientation for an undefined circle of the venue’s visitors.” The reference is to parties with drag shows.