Russian court liquidates LGBTQ+ charity after hearing it “carried out political activities”
Sphere, a human rights organisation fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in Russia, was formally dissolved by one of the country’s courts.
The decision was issued by judge Tatiana Kuzovkina at the Kuibyshev District Court of St. Petersburg on 21 April. In court, a representative from the Russian Ministry of Justice argued that Sphere “carried out political activities using foreign property, which does not correspond to the statutory goals”.
It was also claimed that the charity was not working towards goals specified by federal law and was instead attempting to change legislation – including the Russian Constitution.
These “illegal activities” had to be stopped by liquidating Sphere, the court heard. Vitaly Isakov, a lawyer from the Institute of Law and Public Policy, spoke on behalf of the charity and emphasised that closing it down would leave a number of vulnerable people without a platform or protection.
