Moscow municipal candidate jailed for 10 days over alleged LGBTQ symbol on T-shirt

Moscow’s Tushinsky District Court on July 29 ordered the detention of Daniil Neonov, a candidate for the Shchukino municipal council, for 10 days. He was found guilty under Article 20.3 of Russia’s Administrative Code, which covers the public display of symbols of extremist organizations, because the court regarded lettering on his T-shirt as a symbol of the “LGBT movement.” The rights-focused media project Slovo Zashchite reported the ruling .

The case arose from a campaign video posted on July 16. In it, Neonov wore a T-shirt with multicolored lettering, described himself as a femboy, opposed the ruling United Russia party and asked residents to sign in support of his candidacy. According to Slovo Zashchite, the lettering used seven colors, whereas the modern LGBTQ rainbow flag generally has six stripes.

Neonov pleaded not guilty and said he had chosen the shirt because it was bright. His lawyer said there had been no intent to display any banned symbol. The court also ordered the T-shirt confiscated.

SOTA first reported Neonov’s detention on July 28. His campaign website identifies him as an independent candidate and an IT specialist. He previously took part in the unregistered Dawn party, while his campaign was supported by a Moscow group that split from the party.

If the ruling enters into force, Neonov will be ineligible for election while legally considered subject to the administrative penalty. For penalties under Article 20.3, that period continues for one year after the sentence has been completed, according to Russia’s federal law on electoral rights .

In November 2023, Russia’s Supreme Court designated the “international LGBT public movement” an extremist organization and banned its activities. Russian courts subsequently began applying Article 20.3 to cases involving the display of rainbow imagery.