Three employees of a Russian gay bar — defendants in the first case under the ‘extremist LGBT movement’ ban — sentenced to up to seven years in prison

Source: Orenburg Court

A court in Orenburg has sentenced three employees of the Pose bar to prison in the first known case brought under Russia’s ban on the non-existent ”extremist LGBT movement,” the court’s press service announced.

The bar’s art director, 23-year-old Alexander Klimov, received two years and three months; its administrator, 30-year-old Diana Kamilyanova, six years and three months; and its owner, 37-year-old Vyacheslav Khasanov, seven years. None of the three admitted guilt.

All three were charged with organizing and participating in the activities of an extremist organization under parts 1 and 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code.

According to investigators, Kamilyanova filmed performances by drag artists, while Klimov held meetings with performers and “promoted LGBT relationships” on Telegram, the Russian Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti reported.

At the time of Klimov and Kamilyanova’s arrest, the court said that they, as people with “non-traditional sexual orientation,” had together with others who “support the views and activities of the banned international public association LGBT” ensured the club’s operation.

In March 2024, riot police from OMON raided the Pose bar in Orenburg. Afterward, Russia’s Interior Ministry said police had “shut down the activities of a nightclub where members of a movement banned in the Russian Federation had gathered.” Soon afterward, three employees of the bar were arrested and placed in pretrial detention. They were later added to Russia’s list of extremists and terrorists.

At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.

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Three employees of a Russian gay bar — defendants in the first case under the ‘extremist LGBT movement’ ban — sentenced to up to seven years in prison

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Three employees of a Russian gay bar — defendants in the first case under the ‘extremist LGBT movement’ ban — sentenced to up to seven years in prison

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