- Category
- World
Moscow Court Fines Booking.com $69,300 for “LGBT Propaganda”
Prefer U24 Media on Google
- Authors
![Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk]( "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
A Moscow court has fined the international hotel reservation service Booking.com 6 million rubles ($69,294) over accusations of “LGBT propaganda” and failing to delete banned materials, the independent Russian news outlet Astra reported on September 8.
The Tagansky District Court imposed two separate fines of 3 million rubles ($34,647) each against the platform.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
The charges stem from a newsletter distributed to foreign partner hotels that referenced accommodating LGBT guests during Pride month events, Astra wrote.
Russia’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, discovered a photograph attached to the announcement in March and demanded the content be taken down. Representatives for Booking.com asserted during the proceedings that the page in question had already been deleted on March 11.
The fine coincides with an escalating legal campaign against LGBTQ+ rights across the country. A St. Petersburg court had previously designated the Russian LGBT Network—the nation’s primary LGBTQ+ rights group—as an “extremist” organization. This banned its activities and exposed members to criminal prosecution under charges similar to terrorism.
Discuss this article:
-4a56a6b482ec132402c16ef6fcabf9a2.png)
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-b2c599bb96f9ce8bf3026e53851062f5.png "Ukrainian defense officials participate in a virtual NATO-Ukraine Council meeting chaired by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. (Source: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine)")