Russia Declares Leading LGBT Rights Group ‘Extremist’

By Human Rights Watch

Click to expand Image The City Court in St. Petersburg, Russia on February 24, 2026, when the ruling against Coming Out was handed down. © 2026 AP Photo Last week, a St. Petersburg court in a closed door hearing, designated a leading Russian LGBT rights group, Coming Out, as an “extremist organization.” The ruling delivers another severe blow to a community that has become a key target of the Kremlin’s harmful “traditional values” crusade. Coming Out is the first LGBT rights organization to be formally designated “extremist” since Russia’s Supreme Court in 2023 prohibited…

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