Jan 12, 2008
Quickie Link: Russian Gay Activists Win a Court Case
By vanrozenheim
(Russia) - The 13 Gay activists arrested in a Moscow polling station on December 2 during the Russian state Dumas election for “protest voting”, were acquitted today by a judge. The 13, including Moscow Gay Pride organisers Nikolai Alekseev, Nikolai Baev and Alexey Davydov, were among more that two dozen activists who went to vote in polling station 165, where the homophobic mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov votes, to protest against the whole electoral process and homophobic position of all political parties. Court observed that activists did not have any agitation materials with them, they did not demand anything from the authorities by using placards. Court concluded that there was no picketing held in the meaning of Russian law on public meetings which means that persons detained did not conduct an illegal public gathering.