Murmansk police began to investigate the attack on the office of LGBT organization, which took place six years ago. Investigation began after a human rights activist Violetta Grudina filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights on the inaction of the authorities.
In late September, a month after the news about complaint taken into consideration in Strasbourg court appeared in the media, police interviewed activist and photographed place of crime that happened one and a half year ago.
'It is unfortunate that in order to ensure that our law enforcement agencies began to work, to fulfill their direct duties to apprehend criminals, we have to appeal to international institutions,' human rights activist said.
The complaint to the ECHR was filed on July 7, 2016. In late August, the court took it into consideration. Grudina reported about violation of Article 3 ( "Prohibition of Torture") and Article 14 ( "Prohibition of discrimination") of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
April 3, 2015, two unknown men attacked office of the organization "Center for Social and psychological assistance and legal support to victims of discrimination and homophobia "Maximum" in Murmansk. They sprayed suffocating gas, two people were injured. Law enforcement agencies have not found guilty and denied LGBT activists to initiate criminal proceedings for lack of crime components.
In November 2015 Violetta Grudina tried to challenge the refusal to open a criminal case in court, but to no avail. Neither the city nor the regional court did not satisfy the complaint. Violetta Grudina considers that the authorities have ignored strong evidence that the attack was motivated by homophobic hatred.
May 17, Violetta Grudina held picket in memory of the victims of homophobia in Murmansk; "Rainbow flashmob" was broadcast on periscope.tv. About 700 people watched it. Passers-by reacted calmly. Murmansk authorities did not prevent conduct of picket.
May 31, 2016 LGBT activists challenged in court the ban of Murmansk administration to carry out gay parade in the city. The reason for refusal was the law banning propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations among minors. The founder of the movement of the Moscow Gay Pride Nikolai Alekseev conducts lawsuits for failure to hold LGBT events in Kostroma, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Sochi, Tambov, Simferopol, Sevastopol, Yalta, Khimki and Ryazan.
Natalia Turchinskaya, «7x7»
