Human Rights Watch blasts Olympics over worsening plight of Russian gays

This is getting interesting. Human Rights Watch, one of the lead international human rights groups, has written a rather direct letter to the International Olympic Committee, scolding the IOC for its inaction in the face of growing anti-gay hate in Russia, something which violates the Olympic charter.

And the point isn’t simply academic. Russia will be hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, and there’s growing concern about the safety of foreign athletes and tourists, especially gay ones.

Russia is on the verge of passing legislation that will make it basically illegal to be pro-gay in the country. Any pro-gay speech, sentiment, or action will be against the law, and the legislation specifically provides for arresting pro-gay foreigners for up to two weeks’ detention in a Russian prison before being deported.

Certainly some Olympic athletes attending the Sotchi games will be gay, as will be many of the visitors to the games. The Russians have made no assurances that their anti-gay pogrom won’t touch the Olympics, and in fact it already has. Russia has banned the Olympics from having a Gay Pride house for LGBT athletes. When that happened last year, the IOC issued a weak-tea statement that did absolutely nothing, even though such discrimination is a clear violation of the Olympic charter.

If you think Olympic athletes and tourists aren’t at risk, then you need to get up to speed on the latest news, because it isn’t good. Gay activists are routinely, violently attacked by far-right thugs, who many believe are in cahoots with the Russian police. And the courts are now joining President Putin in his anti-gay putsch. A Russian woman was just fined 20,000 rubles, or around $600, by a Russian court for holding a rainbow flag at a protest. Keep in mind that middle class Russians make between $4000 to $10,000 a year, so this is easily one-month’s wages.

(2013-06-21/americablog)