Yesterday press conference devoted to the Year of memory of gays and lesbians - victims of political repressions took place in St.-Petersburg. In the press centre of the news agency Rosbalt gay leaders of the northern capital told about the initiative of the Russian LGBT-NETWORK to declare the year 2009 as the Year of memory of gays and lesbians - victims of political repressions. It was 75 years ago that the Soviet regime begun political repressions against gays and lesbians.

On this day in 1933 the Decree of All-Russia Central Executive Committee was published which voluntary sexual relations between adult men recognised as a criminal offence. This decree became a law on the 7th of March 1934 as the notorious article 121 of the Russian Criminal Code.

Participants of the press conference among whom were Igor Petrov, the chairman of Inter-regional social movement Russian LGBT-NETWORK, and Alexander Kuharsky, the chairman of board of the oldest in Russia LGBT organisation 'Wings', told about the purposes and events of the Year of memory of gays and lesbians - victims of political reprisals. They also presented results of Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in Russia Monitoring in 2008.