Moscow Gay Pride Hearing at European Court Put Back at Request of Russia

Russia granted additional time to submit its position making it unlikely for the Court to give a decision before Pride

MOSCOW, January 20, 2010 (Gay Russia)  – The European Court of Human Rights informed  the Moscow Pride organisers yesterday that it has extended the deadline for the Russian government to submit its position on the admissibility and the merits of the complaints put to the Court over than banning of Moscow Gay Pride and other events.

Last September, the Court formally opened the case of 163 banned LGBT events in Moscow including the most symbolic bans of Moscow Prides 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Last month, the Russian government asked the Court to extend the deadline citing a workload of cases to manage.

The Russian government has now been granted until February 20 to submit its position to the Court.

“We have been engaged in this fight for freedom of assembly for five years,” Moscow Pride chief organizer Nikolai Alekseev said last night.

“All these years, we have been paying the price of the workload of the Court due until recently to the blocking of the reform of the Court by Russia.

“Now that the Court finally opened our cases, we are paying the price of the workload of the Russian mission in Strasbourg.  Will this ever end?

“It is now unlikely that we get a decision in time for our next Pride on May 29,” Mr. Alekseev pointed out.

The next Moscow Pride is scheduled for May 29 and will mark the fifth attempt to stage the first authorised gay Pride in Russia.

ENDS

Originally published at http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/10/Jan/2001.htm

© All Rights Reserved, Contact Info: (UK Gay News, editorial @ ukgaynews.org.uk)

Media provided by: GayWebSource.com - Gay News Media Network.

Posted by on January 27, 2010