Anti-gay extremist Maxim Sergeyevich Martsinkevich.
The leader of the Russian anti-gay vigilante group "Occupy Pedophilia," who is alleged to have lured LGBT youth to abusive encounters through fake social media profiles, was sentenced Friday to five years in a Russian penal colony. VK.com
Maxim Sergeyevich Martsinkevich was
convicted of inciting and fomenting cases of extremism by posting videos on the "Vkontakte" (VK.com) social network that contained racial slurs and extremist opinions on Russia's state of the union,
reports Interfax.
Videos containing anti-gay statements and abuse were not included in the prosecutor's case against him, however.
Martsinkevich rose to international attention last year when his group began posting videos on VK.com and YouTube,
documenting violent and homophobic harassment of men and gay youth the group claims were seeking to have sex with boys.
Amid outrage by international Human Rights groups and the prosecutor's office in what was then Sevastopol, Ukraine (which sought to arrest him for crimes against a young male adult citizen of Ukraine) Martsinkevich
fled to Cuba in December 2013, but was arrested and extradited for breaking Cuban immigration law in January.
Meanwhile, other members of "Occupy Paedophilia" are
currently awaiting trial for their participation in anti-gay crimes. According to the prosecutor's office in the Kamensk-Uralsky region, a court on August 8 approved the indictment in a criminal case against nine members of the group.
The nine members
are accused of "committing crimes under several articles of the Criminal Code," including organization of an extremist community and membership in an extremist community,
beatings and other acts of violence, the threat of murder and causing grievous bodily harm, intentional infliction of moderate bodily harm, torture and robbery.
Court documents indicate that in January 2013, in the city of Kamensk-Uralsky, the nine men allegedly created "an extremist community" identified by the name and symbols of Martsinkevich's movement, "Occupy Paedophilia,"
reports Queer Russia.
According to charges, members of the group became acquainted with men of "nontraditional" sexual orientation via the internet.
They offered to maintain friendships and sexual relationships, agreed on personal encounters, and then attacked and tortured them, causing physical and mental suffering.The gang members filmed many of the attacks and subsequently posted them to the Internet.
Martsinkevich
appears in many of the videos, and is often seen forcibly shaving the victims' heads in reverse mohawk hairstyles, painting rainbow flags in the shaven areas, forcing the victims to perform sex acts with objects, pouring urine on them, and forcing them to make self-denigrating statements to the camera.
The cases against the other members of "Occupy Paedophilia" are scheduled to be heard by the court in September.
Comment: People have to realize that Russia has to walk a fine line when it comes to homosexuality. Over
half the population thinks that gays should be punished by law or medically treated. Two thirds think of it as a moral perversion or that it is not a sexual orientation.
As for Russia's "anti-gay propaganda" law, in the 7 years that the previous, similar, regional laws were in effect, they resulted in only 6 prosecutions and 2 convictions,
which were later overturned. After six months of the infamous federal law, there were 3 convictions, 2 of which were for acts of civil disobedience against the law itself. Law enforcement have been very restrained when it comes to interpreting and acting on the law itself. In fact, Russia has signed on with the UN Human Rights Council to fight violence and discrimination against homosexuals themselves, and is accountable for fulfilling their agreement. For more information see Brian M. Heiss's "
White Paper".
And quite honestly I don't see a problem with the gay propaganda law in Russia although I think it could be better had it made a no sex propaganda law. The law is to protect children whom are yet to be sexual adults and should be protected from such. Any forceful sexual situations pushed at children be they straight or other is abuse in that it could very easily confuse their orientation whatever it may be. Kids need to be kids and play with toys - not sex toys.
I also find Putin to be one of the most admirable leaders today though not perfect. His handling of the biligerant West is outstanding. Many gays in Russia want the west to back off. The culture in Russia is very conservative and very different from the West. In time and when ready they will evolve. Just not now. Gays in Russia are no worse off than gays in areas of the US or anywhere else. We have no business condemning Russia when the same BS goes on here in our own yard.