Police in Russia’s Far East detain club staff over alleged events featuring ‘transgender performers from Thailand’
Police in Yakutsk, Russia, detained staff from the local club Number One for questioning after city officials accused the venue of hosting events centered on LGBTQ+ themes, SakhaDaily reported.
A January 2 post on the Yakutsk administrative commission’s Telegram channel alleged that the Chinese club and restaurant Number One had engaged in the “public promotion of non-traditional sexual relationships and gender reassignment with the participation of transgender women and men of non-traditional orientation invited from Thailand.” Officials said they had reported the alleged violations to the prosecutor’s office and police.
Felix Antonov, head of the administrative commission, later confirmed that he visited the club with police officers during the day. Police detained all employees present for questioning. However, the alleged “performers from Thailand” were not at the venue, and police are continuing to search for them, according to SakhaDaily.
The incident comes amid an intensifying crackdown on LGBTQ+ individuals and spaces in Russia. In November 2023, the Russian Supreme Court declared the non-existent “international LGBT movement” an extremist organization, banning its activities nationwide. Since then, law enforcement raids on nightclubs have become increasingly frequent. In March 2024, authorities launched the first criminal case related to “LGBT extremism” over parties held at a bar in Orenburg.
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