New York, NY -- After months of sustained international protests led by global gay rights organization AllOut.org and their partners in Russia - ComingOut, SidebySide and the Russian LGBT Federation - St. Petersburg Governor Georgiy Poltavchenko signed a law last month that would criminalize reading, writing, speaking or reporting on anything related to gay, lesbian bi or trans (LGBT) people. Violators of the law could face fines anywhere between 5000 ($171) and 500,000 rubles. ($17,000). In response, AllOut.org is calling for people all over the world to avoid St. Petersburg and Russia in their future travel plans until the law is repealed.
Joining the call in the wake of these new harsh anti-gay laws, Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs advised Canadians traveling abroad in St Petersburg to "avoid displaying affection in public, as homosexuals can be targets of violence."
"Canada's ambassador has written to the Russian government to express our deep concern and, yes, we have at his request, put a travel advisory on our website," Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said today in Parliament, according to The Toronto Star
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird also told Parliament that the law "runs contrary to core Canadian values of freedom of speech, of human rights and the rule of law."
"By validating a new regime of censorship and intolerance, Governor Poltavchenko has diminished the reputation of his city with the stroke of a pen," said Andre Banks, executive director of AllOut.org . " Over 95,000 people have promised not to visit the "new" St. Petersburg after this law goes into effect. Travel companies are considering revising their scheduled trips to the city. Together, we have sent a very clear message to St. Petersburg and leaders like them around the world: there will be a high price to pay for advancing the cause of bigotry and intolerance."
http://allout.org/actions/stpetersburg-dont-go/
BACKGROUND:
In December and January, AllOut.org was one of the first international organizations to bring critical attention to the issue with a petition of over 270,000 worldwide that encouraged Vice President of the European Commission Catherine Ashton to formally discussed the issue in a meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in January.
AllOut.org members then hit the phones and organized a call-in campaign that pushed 6 countries to make official statements condemning the law.
In February, AllOut.org members were joined by dozens of human rights organizations around the world in demonstrations at Russian embassies in Argentina (Buenos Aires), USA (New York), France (Paris), Germany (Berlin and Hamburg), Italy (Milan), Portugal (Lisbon), Belgium (Antwerp) and Brazil (Rio de Janeiro). At the Embassies, AllOut.org hand-delivered 300,000+ signatures condemning the law.
Photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.377889628905236.99154.169042736456594&type=1
AllOut.org also produced a viral video that had over 300,000+ views on YouTube that expressed a simple message urging Governor Poltavchenko to veto the law: "Pass the law, and we won't go there."
allout.org/actions/stpetersburg-dont-go/ .
