LGBT film festival Bok o Bok is foreign agent - prosecutors
ST. PETERSBURG. May 8 (Interfax) - The St. Petersburg prosecutors found violations of the legislation on foreign agents in the work of the human rights LGBT film festival Bok o Bok.
Gulya Sultanova, the organizer of the festival, told Interfax on Wednesday the festival had received the decision made by the St. Petersburg Central District prosecutors based on the inspections conducted in spring, in which the LGBT organization is accused of violating Article 10.7 of the Code of Administrative Violations (which deals with the work of foreign agents) on May 6.
"The prosecutors found violations. Documents have been sent to the magistrate. The court will determine whether the prosecutors' demands are lawful. The date of the meeting has not been determined yet. The trial will most likely be held in late May. The LGBT film festival Bok o Bok will defend its position in court and will contest the 'foreign agent' label in all courts, even if it has to go to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg," Sultanova said.
Prosecutors began inspecting the film festival on March 21. They demanded that the organization furnish a number of documents, including all films shown at the festival and all printed materials.
The St. Petersburg Central District prosecutors found a brochure published by the festival in breach of the legislation. They are also accusing the festival of campaigning against the federal law "on propaganda" by taking part in the campaign entitled "Let's stop the homophobic law together."
"If the judges are not biased, they will be able to hear our arguments, they can't recognize us as 'agents.' Our activities are social, we are working for citizens of Russia," the source said.
Interfax has no comments from the St. Petersburg prosecutors.
The international LGBT film festival Bok o Bok started in St. Petersburg in summer 2007. Since 2011, the film festival has been held in Tomsk, and since April 2012 it has been conducted in Moscow.
