Slavic Gay Pride, Thanks and Add On – Message From Nikolai Alekseev, Nikolai Baev, Ira Fet and Vlad Ortanov

May 17, 2009 in GLBT, Gay, Gay Life, Gay Rights, Homophobia, Homosexuality, Ira Fet, Irina Fedotova, Irina Fet, LGBT, Moscow, Moscow Gay Pride, Moscow Pride, Nikolai Alekseev, Nikolai Baev, Peter Tatchell, Russia, Samuel Žbogar, Slavic Gay Pride, Slavic Pride, Slovenia, Vlad Ortanov, Vladmir Ortanov

Slavic Gay Pride, Thanks and Add On – Message From Nikolai Alekseev, Nikolai Baev, Ira Fet and Vlad Ortanov

We wanted to thank the 50 people who made a protest in Berlin at the Russian Embassy today. Also, to the activists of Tapages who in Strasbourg organized a die-in at the Russian Consulate in the afternoon.

We also want to thank German MP Volker beck who managed from Germany to ask his Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make a diplomatic action in Moscow early sunday morning with the names of the organizers still detained.

We are extremely disspointed that the EU Embassies (UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Finland) which had been invited by the organizers to monitor the events on the spot, concluded that despite witnessing the action, they did not find any ground to make a diplomatic actions. It shows that it is easier to act for the EU Embassies in smaller countries such as Latvia where several EU Embassies brought support but when it turns to be in Russia, things are different.

We will raise this point with the EU Commission shortly as well as the denial by the Belarusian Embassy to grant any assistance to the Belarusian activists on the motives that they were taking part in the Slavic gay pride.

The UK representative gave consular assistance to Peter Tatchell very fast after he was arrested while the US Embassy did not go to meet Andy Thayer and was actually not planing to do it before monday morning.

Most of all, we want to thank all the medias and journalists who made the 4th Moscow Pride moe covered than its first violent edition in 2006. If the participants of the Eurovision clearly put the human rights in their pockets after they landed in Moscow, the journalist mentioned our struggle in all the articles about the Eurovision.

A bit disapointed by the Dutch Gay Contestant, Gordon, who told us that he will be in the pride and who said at a press conference on thursday that he finaly decided not to take part in the pride because the organizers told him not to join. This is actually a lie as we have never be in direct contact with him. We are a bit disapointed to see that this singer used the Slavic pride for his own PR.

Lastly, we welcome the statement from the Slovenian Presidency of the CoE which was released last night which at least once, his expressing a clear and strong message. It seems that the pressure we put on this institution over the last months started to work.

See you next year in Minsk for the second edition of the Slavic Gay Pride (middle of May, date to be confirmed) in Belarus and in Moscow on May 29th 2010 for the 5th Moscow Pride.

Nikolai Alekseev

Nikolai Baev

Ira Fet

Vlad Ortanov

Slovenia Expresses Concern Over Moscow Gay Pride Parade

LJUBLJANA, May 17, 2009 – Samuel Žbogar, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Slovenia and chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, last night expressed his concern about the action taken against the organisers of the Slavic Gay Pride parade in Moscow.
“People belonging to sexual minorities enjoy the same right to freedom of expression and to freedom of assembly as any other individual within the jurisdiction of a member state of the Council of Europe,” a statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Department in Ljubljana.

“According to the established case law of the European Court of Human Rights, peaceful demonstrations cannot be banned simply because of the existence of attitudes hostile to the demonstrators or to the causes they advocate.

“The fact that this is not the first year such a situation has developed is of concern to the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe,” the statement concluded.

Russia is a member country of the Council of Europe. There are currently some 150 cases pending in the European Court of Human Rights against Russia over gay rights issues.

Gay Russia

Photo of the Action in Strasbourg – TaPaGes Strasbourg

TaPaGes Strasbourg

See Also:

• LAST MINUTE: 40 Arrested as Moscow Anti-Riot Police Use Violence to Break up Slavic Pride March – Pride Organisers Call on Performers to Boycott Eurovision
• Threats Mount Against Gay Pride in Moscow by Andy Thayer, Gay Liberation Network
• Slavic Pride Update From the LGBT Moscow Wires – Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov Refuses to Speak to Organisers – Police Attempted to Arrest Nikolai Alekseev
• Slavic Pride: Tatchell Allowed Into Russia – Moscow Mayor – Gay Activists Seek Meeting – Dialogue Urged to Resolve Dispute Over Gay Parade
• Gay Pride in Moscow: Report from Andy Thayer, a Chicago Activist
• Slavic Pride: We Don’t Want Moscow to Become Sodom Said Nikolai Dovydenko, Leader of the United Orthodox Youth
• Russian Lesbian Couple, Irina Fedotova and Irina Shipitko, Denied Marriage License
• Slavic Pride: UK Foreign Office Revises Guidance for Gay Travellers in Moscow
• Peter Tatchell Risks Moscow Gay Pride – Undeterred by Threat of Arrests and Bashings
• Moscow Ban of the Slavic Pride: Dutch Singer Gordon Threatens to Boycott the Eurovision Song Contest
• UN Human Rights Committee Gives Russia 6 Months to Justify Gay Picket Ban in Moscow
• Russia: Moscow Mayor Allows Anti Gay Pride Action but Bans Slavic Pride
• Russia: Lesbians to Attempt First Gay Marriage in Russia
• Russian Gay Activists Unveil Plans for Their Slavic Pride on Eurovision