ΣΤΗ ΜΟΣΧΑ, ΑΔΕΡΦΕΣ ΜΟΥ! ΣΤΗ ΜΟΣΧΑ!

Gays Ask Moscow Authorities to Permit Pride Parade
MOSCOW, May 15, 2006 – Representatives of Russian gay and lesbian groups have filed the official request to stage a “Pride” parade in Moscow on Saturday May 27.
The application was filed with the Moscow city authorities who have said in the past that a gay Pride march would not be permitted. Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has been the most outspoken of the officials.
The authorities now have three days to respond under Russian law.
Also, organisers of the Moscow Pride sent a letter to the Russian President Vladimir Putin asking him to protect the constitutional rights and freedoms of LGBT citizens from discrimination and homophobic violence.
Organizers claim that the Russian constitution, which guarantee the right of peaceful demonstration – as does the European Convention of Human Rights which Russia has signed, cannot be bypassed by Mayor Luzhkov.
And in Strasbourg, Terry Davis, the secretary general of the council of Europe, issued a statement condemning the recent violence in Moscow against gays and lesbians.
“I strongly condemn the recent violent incidents against gays and lesbians in Moscow, and I call on the authorities to investigate these attacks and prosecute the people responsible for them, and prevent any such violence in the future, Mr. Davis said in the statement.
“This is particularly important in view of the series of events currently being organised by the Russian gay and lesbian community to raise awareness about the difficult situation in which they live.
“They are entitled to call for full and unequivocal respect for their basic rights and freedoms, the secretary general said.
“The violent homophobic protests in recent weeks were neither isolated nor spontaneous. They have taken place against the background of a sustained campaign against the rights of gay and lesbian citizens.
“It is regrettable that several people who should normally be the first to speak out against such blatant injustice, have decided instead to endorse and actively support homophobic ideas,” concluded Mr. Davis
This statement was handed out at a press conference in Moscow held this afternoon by the Pride organisers at the Newsinfo press agency when plans for the “Gay Festival” were announced.
Answering questions about the gay pride, Nikolai Alekseev, one of the main organisers said it would be a tremendous event, not only for LGBT community but also for all Russian society.
“It brings society on a new level of tolerance towards sexual minorities,” he said. “This gay pride is most of all a march for tolerant attitude and respect for the rights of sexual minorities in Russia
Organisers also announced the results of their annual barometer to measure homophobia, a research based on a poll conducted by the Levada Center and GayRussia.ru and published for the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO).
According to this poll the opinion of Russian citizens about LGBT rights has improved during the last year.
During the year, Russians whe were against discrimination of LGBT has increased to 45,3% ­– up from 42,8% last year.
This, the organisers say, proves that the plans for Moscow Gay Pride has not had an adverse effect on the opinion of Russians about gays and lesbians, which had been predicted by some sociologists.
Most interesting is that the number of those opposed to legal ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in one year significantly decreased from 36,1% in April 2005 to 29,2% in April 2006.
“Once again, this shows that since Pride was announced, Russians have started to understand what it is to be gay,” Alexeyev told reporters, adding much of this shif of opinion was due to media interest.
“Because the media has, for the first time, talked about us in a normal way – and because the media has discussed gays, people have a better idea of gays.
“They understood that we are not so different – and are ordinary citizen like everyone else.
“Of course, there is still much work to be done to educate,” he continued. “But we are heading in the right direction. Believe it or not, but for us, it is already a satisfying for all our work and commitment.”
The leader of the Russian lesbian movement, Evgenia Debryanskaya, has called gays and lesbians to take part in the Moscow Gay Pride.
“Those who do not go, risk to lose even the little freedom they have today in Russia,” she claimed.
Russian human rights activists and liberal politicians have also supported the Gay Pride in Moscow.
The executive director of human rights Moscow Helsinki Group, the main Russian Human Rights Group, Mrs. Nina Tagankina, said that this event would be very important for the LGBT rights.
She hoped that Russian human rights groups would co-operate with gays and lesbians much closer than before. In the past Human Rights Organization were not so supportive towards gays and lesbians.
Leader of the Russian Radical– a liberal political party, Nicola Khramov – said that he will bring at least 200 people from his party to the Pride no matter if they are gay or straight.
“Gay emancipation is a very important part of the Russian democratic movement which now faces attacks from far right extremists and clerical nationalists in Russia,” he told reporters.
“The fight of Russian gays and lesbians for their rights can be regarded as a fight for the democratic future of Russia” he said, adding that everyone will wear a pink triangle on May 27 for Pride – and reminded reporters about the King of Denmark who decided to wear a yellow star after the Nazis invaded his country and forced the Jews to wear the same.
A representative of a Russian Alternative Green Association also supported the Moscow Gay Pride which takes place on May 27 as the final event of Moscow International LGBT Festival.
At their international annual congress last week in Helsinki, the European Green, issued a statement of support to the Moscow pride.
Leading Russian and foreign media all attended the press conference. Such was the interest that journalists were queuing in the corridor.
Moscow City Hall today denied to make any comment to reporters about the Moscow Gay Pride. According to an official who spoke tonight under condition on anonymity “a meeting is planed in the higher instance of the city tomorrow morning (Tuesday)”
The request for the Gay Pride, officially called “a march for tolerant attitude and respect for the rights of sexual minorities in Russia”, created surprising reactions.
Alexander Chuev, a deputy of the Douma, who recently introduced a bill to ban promotion of homosexuality in the media commented to Radio Echo of Moscow: “Carrying out of the gay parade showing a gay way of life or homosexual orientation, is inadmissible.”
Chuev has expressed the willingness to take part to the conference of the IDAHO, organized within the festival.
Tonight, the Mayor of Moscow seems more and more isolated. Some sources are already say that he would give up and allow the event to avoid a ‘diplomatic incident’ as Russian takes over the Presidency of the Council of Europe.
Alekseev said that he was very pleased by the support of the Council, who, a month ago, wrote to the Mayor of Moscow.
“We have been working for six months with the Council and we have addressed several letters to raise the problems we are facing,” he said.

(Αναδημοσίευση από το site gayrussia)

On 18 May 2006, the Mayor of Moscow refused permission for the first lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pride March.
ILGA-Europe condemns this decision of the Moscow Mayor and calls upon the Mayor to immediately reconsider his decision and urges the European Union, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to intervene and uphold the right to assembly for the Russian LGBT people.
Instances of denying or hindering LGBT people the right to assemble and demonstrate by the municipal authorities have occurred during the last couple of years in other European countries also. LGBT people in those countries have experienced violence, threats and appalling expressions of hate during the marches and demonstrations. These breaches of the basic human right to free assembly and homophobic attitudes have been condemned by the European Parliament’s Resolution on Homophobia in Europe earlier this year.
Patricia Prendiville, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe Executive Board, said:
“We are seriously concerned with the decision of the Moscow Mayor to deny LGBT people the right to assembly. We would like to remind Jury Luzhkov about Article 31 of the Russian Constitution which guarantees everyone a right to peaceful demonstration.
Russia is about to take over the presidency of the Council of Europe and such a decision contradicts the basic principle of freedom of assembly enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights. We also want to stress that such arguments against LGBT demonstration as religious objections and plans for counter-demonstrations cannot legitimise serious breaches of the right to assembly as confirmed by the European Court of Human Rights.
We also hope that the European organisations and institutions will express their outrage by such lawless actions of the Moscow Mayor. Meanwhile we hope the ban will be successfully challenged in the court."

(Αναδημοσίευση από το site της ILGA-Europe)

Letter from Jack Lang to Vladimir Putin
Paris, le 17 mai 2006
Monsieur le Président de la Fédération de Russie,
Permettez-moi de solliciter votre soutien en faveur de ceux qui, le 27 mai, souhaitent organiser librement à Moscou une marche des fiertés destinée à défendre les droits des gays, des lesbiennes, des bisexuel(le)s et des transsexuel(le)s.
Le Maire de Moscou a exprimé de manière très menaçante son refus d’une telle manifestation ; des responsables religieux de différentes confessions ont proféré, contre les homosexuels et contre les participants aux marches des fiertés, des menaces d’une violence inacceptable.
En 1982, alors Ministre de la Culture, j’ai non seulement autorisé la tenue de la première « Gay Pride » officielle en France, mais j’en ai soutenu l’organisation ; je participe régulièrement à ces marches depuis la fin des années soixante-dix, aux côtés de nombreux autres défenseurs des droits de l’homme. Je me sens personnellement insulté par l’attitude et les propos du Maire de Moscou et de ces religieux. Je tiens donc à vous dire, Monsieur le Président, ma totale solidarité avec les organisateurs de cette marche, et en particulier avec Nicolaï Alexeyev.
Aujourd’hui se tient la journée internationale contre l’homophobie. Je vous demande d’apporter à cette occasion votre soutien à la Gay Pride de Moscou. Ce serait un acte porteur d’une dimension symbolique forte, alors que votre pays assumera, dans quelques jours, la Présidence du Conseil de l’Europe, qui a pour mission de veiller au respect des droits de l’homme en Europe. C’est d’ailleurs dans ce cadre que M. Giovanni di Stasi, président du Congrès des pouvoirs locaux et régionaux du Conseil de l'Europe, a récemment adressé une lettre au Maire de Moscou, dans laquelle il rappelle que chaque citoyen d'un pays membre jouit de la liberté d'_expression, de rassemblement et d'association et que la décision d'interdire le défilé va à l'encontre des articles 10, 11 et 14 de la Convention des Droits de l'Homme.
Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président, de bien vouloir prendre toutes les mesures nécessaires pour permettre cette marche, et pour garantir la sécurité des personnes qui y prendront part.
Veuillez croire, Monsieur le Président de la Fédération de Russie, à l’assurance de ma considération,
Jack Lang
(Αναδημοσίευση από το προσωπικό site του Jack Lang)