JAKARTA - The Russian parliament on Thursday passed the third and final reading of a law that expands the ban on promoting LGBT propaganda to children, by banning it among people of all ages.
Critics see the move as an attempt to further intimidate and oppress the sexual minority in Russia, where authorities have used existing laws to stop gay pride parades and detain gay rights activists.
Lawmakers say they defend morality in the presence of what they consider "non-Russian" decadent values promoted by the West.
Meanwhile, human rights groups say the move was designed to ban minority representations such as lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender men (LGBT) in public life.
"Today's LGBT is a hybrid war element and in this hybrid war we must protect our values, our society and our children," said Alexander Khinstein, one of the bill's architects.
The LGBT network, which offers legal aid, called the law a ridiculous attempt to embarrass and discriminate against the LGBT community.
Under the new law, any event or action seen as an attempt to promote homosexuality, including online, movies, books, ads, or in public, could be subject to severe fines.
The fine will reach 400,000 rubles (US$6,600) for individuals and up to 5 million rubles (8,100 US dollars) for legal entities.
As for foreigners, they can face 15 days in prison and the next expulsion from the country.
TikTok, a video-sharing app, was fined 3 million rubles last month for promoting a "video with the LGBT theme". Meanwhile, Russian media regulators asked publishers to withdraw all books containing "LGBT propaganda" from sales.
Yesterday, the Russian State Duma approved the reading of the two bills that prohibit the propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations, pedophilia, and information that could lead to someone looking for sex replacement operations.
About 400 legislators, among them the Chairman of Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, were among those supporting the bill. He said the bill was approved exclusively for Russia's interests.
"We have to do everything we can to protect our children and those who want to live a normal life," he said, quoted from TASS.
The bill introduces separate sanctions for foreigners and those without citizenship. If they spread LGBT propaganda among adults, fines will range from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles (about 850-1,650 US dollars). Meanwhile, propaganda targeting minors will be fined from 100,000 to 200,000 rubles (about 1,650-3,300 US dollars).
In both cases, fines are accompanied by deportations that can be preceded by detention for up to 15 days.
If propaganda is disseminated by foreigners through the media or the Internet, then fines can reach up to 100,000 or 400,000 rubles (about 1,650 and 6,600 US dollars each) depending on the age of the audience.
It is known, the bill needs to be reviewed by the upper house of parliament and signed by President Vladimir Putin before it is enacted.
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