Eastern European human rights group, Spectrum Human Rights Alliance, has been documenting several instances of gang violence against some young gay men in Russia. The group claims neo-Nazi gangs are using social media to arrange meetings with men, whom they then harass, physically assault and emotionally torture. The group claims, though it is unconfirmed, that one man has died as a result of injuries he sustained from the group. The controversy over Russia’s law has resulted in increased calls for boycotts of Russian products and the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. Some gay activists in the U.S., led by columnist Dan Savage, are urging gay bars, other businesses and customers to dump Stoli vodka and other Russian-made vodka. The City of Los Angeles, whose sister city is St. Petersburg — where the nation’s anti-gay legislation originated — is being asked to drop its sister-city relationship. Some activists have requested the U.S. State Department block Russian members of parliament and other officials from visiting the U.S. Voronezh, Russia, has nearly 900,000 residents and is located to the country’s southeast and about 515 kilometers south of Moscow.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Aug 2013 17:32:51 +0000