Moscow refuses to sanction Pride for ninth year in a row

For the ninth consecutive year, Moscow authorities have rejected a bid by gay rights activists to stage a Pride parade, The Moscow Times reports.

Parade organizer Nikolai Alexeyev, who indicated that the event application was rejected because of a nationwide gay propaganda law that was enacted in June last year, has said he intends to proceed with the May 31 event, the report notes.

The Times also says that an official with the regional security department cited the anti-gay gag law and concerns about public safety as reasons for prohibiting the parade.

In 2012, Moscow city authorities’ decision to prohibit gay pride events for 100 years — from March 2012 to May 2112 — was upheld by the city’s highest court. Alexeyev had pledged to seek recourse from the European Court of Human Rights, to which he had turned previously with success. The court has found that the repeated rejections violated freedom of assembly rights and the right to be free from discrimination.