Russian justice announced on Tuesday that it had fined two young women 500 euros for kissing in a cafe and then publishing a video of the kiss, a complete crackdown on the gay community in Russia, AFP reported with reference to News. .ro.

In this video broadcast on social networks, they are sitting at the table as if they were proposing marriage, exchanging rings and kissing.

The accused, two women aged 19 and 24, whose names are not disclosed by the Russian justice system, were found guilty under the article “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and (or) preferences”, the Telegram service reports in . Tuesday press court in Krasnodar.

“Impropriety”

The court that tried them sentenced them “to an administrative fine (of) 50,000 rubles each”, which is about 500 euros, despite the fact that they had previously “apologized” to some police officers.

In images obtained by Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti, one of the young women, with her face blurred out, explains at a police station that it was a “joke” for their social media followers.

According to the indictment, “in February 2024, these two residents of the city of Krasnodar published a video showing indecent behavior in a public place.”

Since 2013, the law in Russia prohibits the “propaganda” of “non-traditional sexual relations” among minors.

Following a general upheaval in society following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this legislation was significantly expanded in late 2022 to ban all forms of LGBT+ “propaganda” in the press, internet, books and films.

In early February, a young woman, Iryna Mosina, was sentenced to pay a fine for posting on the Internet pornographic images of the rainbow flag, a symbol considered “extremist” after the Russian authorities banned the “international” LGBT+ movement in November 2023. according to News.ro.