Russia's LGBT Crackdown: 13-Year-Old Faces School Removal

A 13-year-old in Russia was registered as a juvenile offender after allegedly showing classmates a video that led to accusations of LGBT propaganda and displaying extremist symbols. Police action followed complaints from classmates’ parents. The video’s content was not made public, but it was alleged to include a symbol designated as extremist. Because administrative responsibility applies from age 16, the case was transferred to a regional Juvenile Affairs Commission. Officials recommended removing the boy from school and sending him to a special education institute for psychological treatment. A lawyer appealed, citing the boy’s strong academic record and arguing he did not understand the law and shared the video as a joke. Russian authorities have banned the international LGBT movement as extremist, allowing Pride-related signs to be treated as extremist symbols in everyday contexts, including schools.

"A boy, 13, in Russia has been registered as a juvenile offender after he allegedly showed classmates a video that led to accusations of "LGBT propaganda" and "displaying extremist symbols". Officials are understood to have recommended he is removed from school and sent to a special education institute, where he would be "treated by psychologists". The boy's details were withheld to protect his identity."

"The case was opened after classmates' parents complained to police about the video. The content of the clip has not been made public, but it was alleged to include a symbol designated as "extremist". Because administrative responsibility in Russia applies from the age of 16, the case was then transferred to a regional Juvenile Affairs Commission."

""He wasn't trying to spread propaganda [because] he doesn't even know what that is," the lawyer told Mediazona. "[This was just] a joke for the sake of a joke. "The internet is something that's accessible to everyone... Even children can go online, come across [these kinds of videos], and show them to someone else. And the authorities consider this a form of propaganda?""

"In 2023, Russian authorities banned the so-called "international LGBT movement", deeming it an extremist organisation. Under that framework, showcasing rainbow flags or other Pride-related signs can be classed as "displaying extremist symbols", widening the scope for enforcement in everyday settings, including schools."

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