The European Union (EU) deplored this Thursday a new law passed by Russia’s lower house of parliament (Duma) that “prohibits LGBTQ+ propaganda” and a law that qualifies critics of the regime as “foreign agents.”
The 27 Member States considered that “the proposed changes to the citizenship law are also deeply troubling,” said a spokesman for the European External Action Service.
“These legislative changes fuel homophobia and further strengthen the harsh suppression of any critical and alternative speech in the context of Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine, which the EU continues to condemn in the strongest possible terms,” the message says. the same source.
“The EU stands in solidarity with Russian citizens who are being prevented from exercising their human rights,” he added.
Russian MPs this Thursday passed legislative amendments that significantly expand the law banning “LGBTQ+ propaganda,” indicative of the Kremlin’s conservative nature and in the midst of Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine.
“Promotion of non-traditional sexual relations is prohibited (…). This decision protects our children and the future of the country from the propaganda of the United States and European countries,” Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the Duma, said today.
This new law, an expansion of a 2013 text that banned LGBT+ “propaganda” to minors, now bans “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” to all audiences in the media, online, in books and in films.
Such a wide scope, as well as the interpretation allowed by the concept of “promotion”, raises fears of further repression against LGBTQ+ communities in Russia, which already face severe discrimination.
“(…) A ban on the promotion of pedophilia and gender reassignment has also been introduced,” Volodin said.
“The fines amount to 10 million rubles” (about 160 thousand euros) for violators, the deputy added.
In order for the text to become law, it still needs to be approved in the upper house of parliament, in the Federation Council and signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, which, in fact, is a formality.
The adoption of this new law comes after years of repression against LGBTQ+ communities, with the Kremlin positioning itself as a defender of traditional values in the face of a West portrayed as decadent.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.