Orenburg Court Jails 3 Bar Employees for LGBTQ+ ‘Extremism’
A court in Russia's Orenburg region sentenced a bar owner and two employees to prison for being part of the 'international LGBT movement,' designated as extremist by the Supreme Court. This is the first criminal case under the 2023 ruling.
A court in the Orenburg region on Monday handed down prison sentences to a bar owner and two of his employees in what is Russia's first criminal case targeting people accused of belonging to the so-called 'international LGBT movement.' The trio was arrested in March 2024 on charges related to the Russian Supreme Court's 2023 designation of the non-existent 'LGBT movement' as 'extremist.'
Bar owner Vyacheslav Khasanov received a seven-year sentence, manager Diana Kamilyanova was sentenced to six years and three months, and art director Alexander Klimov received two years and three months. They were accused of organizing events that demonstrated 'affiliation with individuals of unconventional sexual orientation under the guise of running a nightlife venue.' According to the exiled news outlet Mediazona, the bar hosted drag shows.
The defendants denied the charges during closed-door proceedings. While this case marks the first criminal prosecution under the LGBTQ+ 'extremism' designation, Russia's first actual prison sentence under the ban was issued separately in January 2025 in the Kemerovo region. The Orenburg court said the verdict has not yet taken effect and remains subject to appeal.
In addition to the prison terms, the court seized 1 million rubles ($12,800) in revenue from Khasanov. It also barred all three defendants from working in the entertainment and hospitality industries for two to three years following their release.
