Russia Jails Gay Bar Staff Under ‘LGBT Extremism’ Law

A court in Orenburg, Russia, convicted two men and one woman who worked at the Pose bar, sentencing them to between two and seven years in prison.

The case is the first criminal prosecution under Russia’s law outlawing the ‘international LGBT movement’ as extremist.

The bar was raided by security forces, and the verdict drew international condemnation.

Human rights groups view the ruling as a significant escalation in state-sponsored repression of LGBTQ+ people.