Russia, Netflix accused of gay propaganda

Netflix has violated the law in force in Russia against ” gay propaganda ”. This is the accusation that the public commissioner for the protection of Russian families, Olga Baranets, has submitted to the Moscow Interior Ministry, which will examine the complaint within thirty days. This was reported by the daily Vedomosti citing the law of 2013 which prohibits the dissemination of “propaganda on non-traditional sexual relations” among Russians under the age of 18. An LGBT themed TV series aimed at an audience over the age of 16, therefore ” not labeled correctly ”, is being accused. Current laws in Russia allow the transmission or streaming of “deviant” content, with the exception of pedophilia, to audiences over the age of 18. No official comments, for now, from Netflix. According to a source cited on condition of anonymity by the newspaper, however, an internal review did not find any series with LGBT content intended for an audience of over 16. If the violation of the law is ascertained, the US company risks a fine of up to. one million rubles, equivalent to $ 13,400, or a temporary suspension of service in Russia. In 2017, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russian law on gay propaganda violates the rules of the European treaty, the right to freedom of expression and discriminates against the LGBT community.