Judge Natalya Afanasyeva of the Leninsky District Court of Saratov fined 33-year-old photographer Inna Mosina 1.5 thousand rubles under the first known protocol for “demonstration of extremist symbols” because of rainbow flags, reports a Mediazona correspondent.
As First Department wrote, the Saratov resident posted several photos with rainbow flags on Instagram. This happened a month before the Supreme Court decision came into force, which on November 30 declared the “international LGBT movement” an extremist organization.
The administrative case against Mosina (Part 1 of Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) was supposed to be considered on January 30, but the meeting was postponed in order to interrogate operative Stolyarov, who took screenshots from the girl’s Instagram. In court, he was unable to answer a single question.
Mosina did not admit guilt and considers her prosecution illegal. “One more time [they will draw up a report on this article], and I will have four years in prison,” she said after the judge’s decision.
The girl noted that social networks are “digital exhibitions of her work,” and photographs with a rainbow flag were “an artistic decision.” Mosina calls herself a feminist. Saatchi Art Gallery's website says it is inspired by «creating inclusive stories of atypical female beauty, challenging stereotypes and fighting for freedom.»
When asked by the judge whether the artist was aware of LGBT symbols, she answered in the negative. The girl found out about the claims from the security forces when the local police officer called her. Immediately after this, she deleted her Instagram page. “Do I have no instincts? If the police speak, then you need to listen,” Mosina said.
According to Mosina, one of the posts she was accused of was dedicated to a girl with alopecia and not has nothing to do with LGBT.
In the materials of the case against Mosina, Center “E” employees included the text of the Supreme Court decision to ban the “International LGBT Movement”. Earlier, the Svobodnye Novosti publication managed to obtain a copy of this document, and Mediazona cited the main excerpts from it.
The case of “demonstration of symbols of an extremist organization” for the rainbow flag. Saratov
On January 31, a court in Nizhny Novgorod arrested local resident Anastasia Ershova for five days because of earrings in the “shape of a frog with the image of a seven-color rainbow.” The girl was also charged with “demonstration of extremist symbols.”