Newpaper Chief Editor Accused of "Homopropaganda" in the mass media
50 thousand rubles (US$1440 or 1060 Euro) will have to pay the chief editor of the "Molodoy Dalnevostochnik" daily ("young Far Easterner") as a fine for dissemination of information that might "threat public morale and ethics" as well as pose a "threat to minors". Teacher and scientist Alexander Yermoshkin in his interview for the daily had expressed strong belief in his personal normality, which was decided by the local court as "homopropaganda" after the motion of the Russian authority for control over the mass media (Roskomnadzor).
Alexander Suturin, the chief editor of the daily, compared the court's decision with promotion of new "fascism". "...According to my observations - and I am not exaggerating - we have already bred new "shadow police" that act openly. And I, father of my grown up daughter, do worry a lot about her because if now they (shadow police) dislike a gay whom they were beating on the street with impunity, they then may as well dislike the length of my daughter's T-shirt and start to tear it off from her. They are behaving with total impunity. Every month the number of those shadow policemen grows bigger. The article was teling about this", cites "Priamurka" daily Mr. Suturin as saying.
The whole legal action actually was based on and against a single statement of Alexander Yermoshkin: "My very existence is an effective evidence of normality of homosexuality". As stated by Roskomnadzor's officials, one of the evidences of his approvement were Vladimir Putin's declarations about "spiritual ties", firmness of "traditional family" and the need to fight against "asexual tolerance" in his address to the Federal Council last year.
"...The judge supported expert's decision that the phrase contained features of the breach of the Russian legislation, negation of social nonequivalency of traditional and non-traditional sexual relations. Deduction: the Russian Federation segregates people into a) socially equivalent and b) not very much equivalent, or rather totally inequivalent. The Russian state is a fascist state", this was an emotional reaction of Alexander Yermoshkin on the court's judgement in his post on VK.com personal page.
For reference, in the end of 2013 due to a motion from Roskomnadzor, the "Amuburg", a web publication, was called to appear before court for "homopropaganda" - it was a publication of some excerpts from the text of the petition in support of the very Alexander Yermoshkin who had been fired from school and the university due to pressure exerted by obscurantists and clergy lobby in local authority bodies which are in charge of the education control. Then the judge did not find any "homopropaganda" and made a decision to close the case due to the absence of the breach of the law.
In recent months Roskomnadzor has been very active in screening traces of "homopropaganda" in mass media. Up to now its officials were closely examining the TV schedule. So, due to complaints from the Roskomnadzor, the gay show "Looking" has disappeared from broadcasting on TV channel "Amedia Premium". On Sunday the "Sony TV" channel did not showed the film "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". During the New Year holidays the STS TV channel refused to broadcast "The Cloud Atlas" scheduled at 7 pm. The "Illusion" TV channel has deleted from the broadcasting schedule "The Little Ashes" (a 2008 Spanish-British drama film set against the backdrop of Spain during the 20s and 30s, as three of the era's most creative young talents meet at university and set off on a course to change their world - a film about love affair between Salvador Dali and Federico Garcia Lorca.
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes
"Article 6.21. Propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among the minors
1. Propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among the minors, resulting in dissemination of information that was aimed at development among the minors of non-traditional sexual rules, affinity of non-traditional sexual relations, distorted perception of social equivalence of traditional and non-traditional sexual relations and/or solicitation of any information about non-traditional sexual relations that causes interest in such relations, given that these actions do not comply with any criminally punishable action...
1. Propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among the minors, resulting in dissemination of information that was aimed at development among the minors of non-traditional sexual rules, affinity of non-traditional sexual relations, distorted perception of social equivalence of traditional and non-traditional sexual relations and/or solicitation of any information about non-traditional sexual relations that causes interest in such relations, given that these actions do not comply with any criminally punishable action...
The whole legal action actually was based on and against a single statement of Alexander Yermoshkin: "My very existence is an effective evidence of normality of homosexuality". As stated by Roskomnadzor's officials, one of the evidences of his approvement were Vladimir Putin's declarations about "spiritual ties", firmness of "traditional family" and the need to fight against "asexual tolerance" in his address to the Federal Council last year.
"...The judge supported expert's decision that the phrase contained features of the breach of the Russian legislation, negation of social nonequivalency of traditional and non-traditional sexual relations. Deduction: the Russian Federation segregates people into a) socially equivalent and b) not very much equivalent, or rather totally inequivalent. The Russian state is a fascist state", this was an emotional reaction of Alexander Yermoshkin on the court's judgement in his post on VK.com personal page.
For reference, in the end of 2013 due to a motion from Roskomnadzor, the "Amuburg", a web publication, was called to appear before court for "homopropaganda" - it was a publication of some excerpts from the text of the petition in support of the very Alexander Yermoshkin who had been fired from school and the university due to pressure exerted by obscurantists and clergy lobby in local authority bodies which are in charge of the education control. Then the judge did not find any "homopropaganda" and made a decision to close the case due to the absence of the breach of the law.
In recent months Roskomnadzor has been very active in screening traces of "homopropaganda" in mass media. Up to now its officials were closely examining the TV schedule. So, due to complaints from the Roskomnadzor, the gay show "Looking" has disappeared from broadcasting on TV channel "Amedia Premium". On Sunday the "Sony TV" channel did not showed the film "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". During the New Year holidays the STS TV channel refused to broadcast "The Cloud Atlas" scheduled at 7 pm. The "Illusion" TV channel has deleted from the broadcasting schedule "The Little Ashes" (a 2008 Spanish-British drama film set against the backdrop of Spain during the 20s and 30s, as three of the era's most creative young talents meet at university and set off on a course to change their world - a film about love affair between Salvador Dali and Federico Garcia Lorca.
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes
