The Gagarin district court in Moscow on July 20 upheld the refusal of
Russia’s Justice Ministry to register an organization pushing for
recognition of same-sex unions.
The ministry claimed it cannot officially approve Marriage Equality Russia
because national law defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and
the group’s objectives therefore “conflict with the laws of the Russian
Federation.”
Activist Nikolai Alekseev says MER may appeal to the Supreme Court, then
the European Court of Human Rights.
“The court has created a very dangerous precedent which goes much further
than the campaign for gay rights, making it possible to deny registration
to any organization whose purpose is to fight for changes in the Russian
laws,” he said.
By Rex Wockner
