Russian authorities have handed prison terms of up to seven years to three staff members of the Pose bar in Orenburg, marking it the first criminal case explicitly tied to participation in the so-called “LGBT movement,” which Russia’s Supreme Court has labelled as extremist.According to an independent Russian media outlet, “Careful, News” reporting from the Central District Court of Orenburg, art director Aleksandr Klimov, administrator Diana Kamilyanova and bar owner Vyacheslav Khasanov were found guilty.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“The defendants were found guilty of organizing and participating in the activities of an extremist organization,” the court said, imposing bans on their future work in entertainment and catering, while confiscating more than 1 million rubles (approximately $12.986) in income from Khasanov.Prosecutors had described the three as “persons of non-traditional sexual orientation.” They claimed the bar administrator filmed performances by drag artists, while the art director held meetings with performers and promoted LGBTIQ+ relationships via Telegram.Klimov, 23, received two years and three months in a penal colony, Kamilyanova, 30, was sentenced to six years and three months, and Khasanov, 37, was given a maximum of seven years.Case roots in 2024 raidThe criminal case followed a major raid on Pose in March 2024, launched after a denunciation by a local nationalist organization.Security forces recorded the operation, seizing equipment, alongside “bags with women’s clothing and wigs.” Images and videos have later circulated widely on far-right and pro-war channels.
Orenburg Court Issues First Sentence Under Russia’s LGBTIQ ‘Extremism’ Ruling
A court in Orenburg has sentenced three staff from queer bar Pose to up to seven years in prison in Russia’s first criminal case over alleged participation in the “LGBT movement,” banned as extremist.
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