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28 November 2006, 17:41Ban on Moscow gay pride march declared legal by City Court
Moscow, November 28, Interfax - The Moscow Central District prefecture's ruling banning a gay pride march from being held in Moscow in May was legal, the Moscow City Court announced on Tuesday.
In an appeal, the organizers of the march asked for the ruling to be qualified as illegal. They now say the will take their case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
The march, set to have been held on May 27, was intended to show support for tolerance and the observation of homosexuals' rights in Russia, the event's organizers said.
However, the march was banned by the Moscow Central District prefecture, which cited "numerous objections from religious groups, citizens and executive and legislative bodies."
"The prefecture's actions were illegal. In its refusal it stated that the safety of participants, in this case less than a hundred, could not be guaranteed, and this in a city where events in which thousands participate are held daily," representative for the organizers Dmitry Bartenev said.
The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly related its position concerning cases of this type. It says that refusals to grant permission justified by a lack of security are a violation, he said. |
