UN Directly Intervenes on Behalf of LGBT Organizations Labeled Extremist in Russia
Six UN Special Rapporteurs have sent a formal communication to Russian authorities regarding the designation of the St. Petersburg-based human rights group “Vykhod” (Coming Out) as an extremist organization and the subsequent ban on its activities. As noted by the publication Mozhem Obyasnit , this marks the first instance where UN mechanisms have been deployed to defend specific LGBT organizations in the context of Russia’s anti-extremism legislation.
In their letter, the UN experts stated that Russian law enforcement practices effectively criminalize legitimate human rights work. According to their assessment, designating LGBT organizations as extremist creates a “chilling effect” on civil society, leads to arbitrary arrests, and deprives LGBT individuals of access to essential services. The rapporteurs emphasized that the term “extremism,” as interpreted in Russia, has no basis in international law.
Moscow was asked to clarify the legal grounds for banning both the abstract “international LGBT movement” and the specific group “Vykhod.” The Russian government was presented with six questions concerning the legal framework of such decisions, safeguards against their arbitrary application, opportunities for appeal, guarantees of freedom of expression and assembly, and the protection of LGBT individuals and human rights defenders. The Special Rapporteurs called for an end to similar proceedings and suggested considering the abolition of the legal category of “extremism” altogether.
“Vykhod” became the first specifically named LGBT structure to be banned in Russia following the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that designated the non-existent “international LGBT movement” as extremist. Later, under a similar legal scheme, the Russian LGBT Network, Center T, the Yekaterinburg Resource Center for LGBT, Parni PLUS, and Irida were also banned.
The appeal was signed by specialized human rights experts, including the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia, Mariana Katzarova; the former head of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch, Graeme Reid; and Ben Saul, a professor of international law specializing in the human rights impacts of counter-terrorism legislation.
After 60 days, Russian authorities have not provided an official response. Representatives of “Vykhod” explained that Moscow is not obliged to react to such inquiries and frequently leaves them unanswered. However, the conclusions of the UN Special Rapporteurs are subsequently used by other international institutions to make legally binding decisions.
According to a study by “Vykhod”, 55% of LGBT teenagers in Russia have faced pressure in educational institutions, 19% have experienced domestic violence, 12% and 10% have faced physical and sexualized violence respectively, and 4% have been subjected to attempted “conversion therapy.”
