Anti-gay Russian politico Alexander Chuev got his wish.
After being outed by gay activist Nicolas Alexeyev on national television, Chuev pressed the General Prosecutor to press charges – any charges – against Alexeyev (pictured).
The General Prosecutor must have agreed, because Alexeyev may be charged with slander.
Slander’s never an easy charge to prove and, as Pink News explains, Russian prosecutors will have to show that being called “gay” hurt Chuev’s reputation.
Alexeyev, however, says the case highlights Russia’s contradictory stance on gay rights:
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On the one hand they are saying all the time that no-one is discriminating gays in Russia and that there is no problem being gay and on the other hand they are investigating whether the word ‘gay’ can be insulting.
Obviously not, because homosexual relations are not anymore prosecuted in Russia and homosexuality is not classified as a mental illness.
Alexeyev claims the charges are the government’s attempt to muzzle human rights suits he plans on filing and, what’s more, indicate Russia’s “authoritarian” underbelly.
It is clearly one other example of Russia becoming an authoritarian state where people do not have any right to express themselves and speak freely. And Russian authorities particularly do not like those who reveal bitter truth about them.
Good for you, Alexeyev! Although, we hope the government doesn’t get even more authoritarian on your ass…
[Note: Initial reports said Alexeyev had been officially charged with slander. More accurate translations, however, confirm that Alexeyev has not yet been charged, but police told him they are investigating into whether he can be charged with slander.]
