Amidst the ongoing crackdown against the LGBTQ community, Russia's Justice Ministry has formally called for a ban on the "international LGBT public movement."
The ministry, however, did not specify whether it aimed to close down specific groups within the country.
"The Russian Justice Ministry has lodged an administrative legal claim with the Supreme Court to recognize the International LGBT public movement as extremist and ban its activity in Russia," stated the ministry in an official release.
The term "extremist" has been wielded by Russian authorities as a tool against various rights organizations and opposition groups, exposing their members to potential prosecution.
The ministry accused the "LGBT movement operating on the territory of the Russian Federation" of displaying "various signs and manifestations of extremism, including incitement to social and religious hatred."
Although the ministry did not elaborate on the specific actions constituting extremism, it announced that a court hearing is scheduled for November 30.
This move follows Russia's intensified campaign against LGBTQ groups, coinciding with its offensive in Ukraine, which is often framed as a battle against Western liberal values.
Dilya Gafurova, the head of LGBTQ rights group Sphere, criticized the authorities, stating, "Russian authorities are once again forgetting that the LGBT+ community are human beings. They don't just want to erase us from the public field: they want to ban us as a social group."
