Russia bans top LGBT news website
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 19 September 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russia bans top LGBT news website, 19 September 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58189dc813.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 19, 2016
A court in Siberia has banned one of Russia's most popular lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) news sites without warning.
The administrators of the BlueSystem.ru said on September 19 that instead of their site's content the text of the Parabel city court's ruling appears on the monitor, saying that the site was banned in May.
The administrators said they had not been informed about the court's decision and their site was accessible all this time.
The reason for the ban has not been published on the court's website either.
Russia has been harshly criticized for its gay-rights record, including a vaguely worded law banning "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" to minors that many critics say has led to discrimination and attacks against LGBT people.
Based on reporting by The Moscow Times, Novosib-room.ru, and Polit.ru
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
