On the verge of an urban roundabout, hemmed in by a battered fence,
crop-haired youths brandishing baseball bats surround a young man in an
orange T-shirt.
Moments later, the youngster lies gasping and pleading
on the ground, as a thick knee is pressed to his neck and heavy boots
kick at his torso.
The video bears the slick logo of Occupy Pedofilyaj, a
Russian vigilante group, and is just one of dozens posted on the
internet to frighten gays and lesbians.
They provide chilling images of the hardships facing homosexuals in
Russia and neighbouring ex-Soviet republics, which have prompted calls
for foreign sanctions and a boycott of next February’s Winter Olympics.
'While the Catholic Church is against homosexual practices, it also
opposes homophobia,' explained Mgr Igor Kovalevsky, secretary-general of
Russia’s Catholic bishops’ conference.
'But homosexuality is a totally
marginal issue in Russian society. There’s no great interest in it here
and very few homosexuals in our Catholic communities.'
Homosexuality was de-criminalised in Russia in 1993, two years after
the collapse of Communist rule, and removed from the list of mental
illnesses in 1999.
But pressure against gays and lesbians has been
growing, while violent assaults, often documented and filmed, are
routinely ignored by the police.
This year alone, while brutal murders
in Volgograd, Kamchatka and other areas have instilled a climate of
fear, according to human rights groups, the Russian Army has issued new
guidelines for dealing with homosexual recruits, and plans have been
laid for nationwide screening of homosexuals to prevent HIV.
European Union surveys rank Russia alongside Muslim countries as among the least tolerant of homosexuals.
European Union surveys rank Russia alongside Muslim countries as among the least tolerant of homosexuals.
With no law against sexual discrimination, few
public figures have ever declared their homosexuality, while victims of
harassment have no confidence in the authorities and rarely reports
acts of violence.