Russian Court Sues Yandex CEO For LGBT Propaganda Case

Russian President Vladimir Putin has banned LGBT propaganda. (photo: twitter @TheBig BossPutin)

JAKARTA - Artem Savinovsky, CEO of the Nasdaq-listed internet company, Yandex, faces charges in Russian courts over alleged violations of the law known as "LGBT propaganda." This was announced in a notice on the court's website on Wednesday, July 5.

The lawsuit against Artem Savinovsky, which was not stated on the date of his trial, came after the court fined 1 million rubles (Rp 165 million) to an online film database called Kinopoisk, which Yandex owns, for the same reason.

Yandex told Reuters that the case that dragged Savinovsky, who is also the CEO of Kinopoisk, was related to a fine given on Tuesday, July 4 for "irreal attachment to LGBT films."

The Savinovsky case is an administrative non-criminal case, which is related to violations of the law that do not cause significant harm or harm to the public. Yandex said it would appeal if there was a court decision against their CEO.

Russia is further tightening its supervision of the rights of LGBT that President Vladimir Putin sees as evidence of a moral downturn in Western countries that Russia must protect.

In December, Putin signed a law that expands restrictions on the promotion of what he calls "LGBT propaganda", which effectively prohibits any public expression about lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender behavior or lifestyle in Russia.

Last month, Russia's Lower House of parliament, Duma Negara, provided its initial support for legislation that would prohibit sex replacement operations for transgender people.

Yandex's database of the Kinopoisk film is related to non-compliance attaching 18+ labels to seven films on its website, including the British romantic comedy film "Bridget Jones's Diary", the British black comedy film "Greed", and the Italian comedy film "Perfect Strangers."

Kinopoisk defended itself by arguing that the films could only be watched via subscriptions, which are only available to viewers over 18 years of age. But the court rejected the argument, as reported by the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

As Russia's leading technology company, Yandex has faced difficulties in balancing domestic pressure with the interests of its western investors since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February last year.

Last month, a court fined the company 2 million rubles (Rp330 million) for repeatedly refusing to provide user information to Russian security services.

Netherlands-listed Yandex parent company Yandex NV is restructuring a company that will separate its main business units within Russia and develop four new units separately abroad.

Savinovsky became Yandex CEO in April after previous executive Elena Bunina resigned following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to Kommersant, Russian media, he joined the company in 2008 and previously led the media department, which oversees Kinopoisk and other services.

In recent years, Russia has implemented tougher laws on the LGBT community and taken steps to limit their rights. This has raised international concerns and has been criticized by human rights groups.