Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs
Police in Moscow raided multiple bars early Saturday and arrested the director of a travel agency serving LGBTQ+ customers under laws criminalizing “LGBT propaganda,” state media reported.
The raids came on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s Supreme Court outlawing the “international LGBT movement,” paving the way for arrests and prosecutions of the country’s already repressed LGBTQ+ community.
Russian security forces raided at least three bars and nightclubs overnight “as part of measures to combat LGBT propaganda,” state-run TASS news agency reported.
Social media videos from the Arma nightclub (formerly Mutabor) showed club-goers sitting on the dancefloor while riot police walked around shouting orders.
Another video showed people being walked out of the popular Mono gay club in central Moscow with their hands above their heads, with a police van parked outside.
The interior ministry said police had also raided an unnamed nightclub on Skladochnaya Street that had been “propagandizing the ideology of the banned LGBT movement.” The Interfax news agency reported that the unnamed club was Inferno Night.
news
LGBTQ+ Support Group in Russia’s Yekaterinburg Closes Amid ‘Anti-Queer Pressure’
Read more
Police in the capital also arrested the director of a travel agency for gay men on suspicion of “organizing tours for members of the LGBT community.”
The 48-year-old director of “Men Travel” was suspected of “preparing a trip for supporters of non-traditional sexual values to go to Egypt for the New Year holidays” TASS reported Saturday, citing law enforcement.
The Kremlin has ramped up its conservative rhetoric since launching its military assault on Ukraine almost three years ago, casting the conflict as a battleground against the West and its values.
Rights groups say the country is waging an unprecedented crackdown on LGBTQ+ people that has seen the owners of LGBTQ+ bars arrested and anyone associated with promoting LGBTQ+ rights prosecuted.
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.
Continue
Not ready to support today? Remind me later.
×
Remind me next month
Thank you! Your reminder is set.
We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy.
