Reacting to the sentencing of nightclub owner Tatiana Zorina to four years in a penal colony for purportedly organizing the “extremist activity” of a non-existent “international LGBT movement” at her venue, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:
“Tatiana Zorina’s sentencing is a stark illustration of how Russia’s abuse of ‘extremism’ legislation has spiraled into outright persecution targeting LGBTI people and their allies. Running a private venue intended as a space where LGBTI people can safely be themselves is not a crime. Denying this right is deplorable.”
Running a private venue intended as a space where LGBTI people can safely be themselves is not a crime. Denying this right is deplorable
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director
“The Russian authorities must immediately overturn this conviction and release Tatiana Zorina. They must also repeal laws that arbitrarily label peaceful expression and association as ‘extremism’ simply because they relate to sexual orientation or gender identity that do not align with so-called ‘traditional values.’ This homophobic witch-hunt must end now.”
Background
On 23 March, the Ingodinsky District Court of Chita, Eastern Siberia, sentenced 23-year-old entrepreneur Tatiana Zorina to four years in a penal colony for “organizing the activities of an extremist organization.” In addition, the court banned her from administering online fora or leading public associations for four years upon release.
Tatiana Zorina was detained in late October 2024 following a police raid on the nightclub “Tochka”, formerly known as “Jackson”. The investigation claimed the venue was used to “promote the ideology” of the so-called “international LGBT movement,” a non-existent entity designated as an “extremist” organization in Russia on 30 October 2023 and invoked to arbitrarily target LGBTI people and those who associate with them.
By the end of 2025, at least 23 criminal cases had been opened on “extremism” charges related to LGBTI activities.
