A St Petersburg judge has postponedĀ a hearing faced by chairman of the Russian LGBT Network and an independent attorney under the city’s new anti-gay censorship law, as papers relating to the charge were found to be missing. The hearing, originally scheduled for 16 April, will now take place on 23 April.Ā Attorney Sergey Kondrashov and LGBT Network chair Igor Kochetkov are charged with the promotion and propaganda of homosexuality as well as disobeying a police officer. They were arrested on 7 April in St Petersburg while protesting the new law with banners during a “Day of Silence”.
NEWS
Support free expression for all
At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.
But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.
If you believe in a future where voices arenāt silenced, help us protect it.
At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.
But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.
If you believe in a future where voices arenāt silenced, help us protect it.
At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.
But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.
If you believe in a future where voices arenāt silenced, help us protect it.
At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.
But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.
If you believe in a future where voices arenāt silenced, help us protect it.
At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.
But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.
If you believe in a future where voices arenāt silenced, help us protect it.
READ MORE
-
Council of Europe report: “Increasingly hostile environment for journalism”
2025 was a terrible year for the media in Europe, with 53 deaths of journalists and other professionals and 330 alerts published
-
Free speech is the casualty in Ukraine war
Journalists are being killed and media freedom is under threat. Both sides have questions to answer
-
Eight years on from the murder of Slovak journalist JƔn Kuciak
On Saturday, friends of the Slovak investigative journalist held 30 commemorative demonstrations to mark his brutal murder in 2018
-
The BBC World Service must be defended not defunded
Index and other organisations call on the UK government to provide clarity over public broadcaster's funding at a critical time
