A court in Russia has sentenced the owner of a nightclub and some members of staff to jail in the first prosecution under the country’s ban on the so-called ‘LGBT movement’, which was deemed as “extremist” in 2023.

As reported by The Independent, on Monday, June 29, a court in Orenburg, Russia, found three defendants guilty of organising or participating in the activities of an “extremist organisation”. Vyacheslav Khasanov, owner of Pose club, received a seven-year jail term and a 1 million roubles (around €11,200) fine.

Club manager Diana Kamilyanova received a six-year and three-month jail sentence, while art director Alexander Klimov was sentenced to two years and three months. All three of the defendants denied guilt but were sentenced to jail under Russia’s ban on the ‘LGBT movement’.

The court stated that the three had “under the guise of running a nightclub, organised events centred on the common theme of demonstrating affiliation with people of non-traditional sexual orientation for an unspecific group of the venue’s patrons.”

The case follows a raid at Pose carried out in March 2024, when police stormed the nightclub after being alerted by a pro-war nationalist group. The group, namely the Russian Community of Orenburg, reportedly assisted the police in carrying out the raid, forcing employees and attendees to the floor.

Pose had operated since 2021, hosting drag parties and other events for the queer community. However, it started marketing itself as a “parody bar theatre” as the crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community mounted in Russia.

This is considered to be the first case of criminal “extremism” since the so-called ‘LGBT movement’ was banned by the Russian Supreme Court in November 2023. Under the ban, people who engage in activities in support of the LGBTQ+ community can be designated as terrorists, with several raids having already been carried out by authorities in queer venues all over the country.

According to Russian LGBTQ+ rights lawyers, this first case will set a precedent for future prosecutions of members of the LGBTQ+ community and advocates and will destroy “safe havens” in the country.

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