RUSSIA: Moscow court rejects appeal by a lesbian couple to overturn an earlier ruling against the registration of their marriage

Record ID: 277234

  • Title: RUSSIA: Moscow court rejects appeal by a lesbian couple to overturn an earlier ruling against the registration of their marriage
  • Date: 22nd January 2010
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JANUARY 21, 2010) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF COURT BUILDING RUSSIAN FLAG ON COURT BUILDING INTERIOR COURTROOM - RUSSIAN GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST NIKOLAI ALEXEEV SEATED (LEFT) NEXT TO IRINA FET, PR WORKER AND LESBIAN, IN COURT CLOSE OF FET JUDGES IN COURT PREPARE TO READ VERDICT MOSCOW CITY EMBLEM ABOVE JUDGES CLOSE ON JUDGE READING VERDICT LEGAL BOOK ON DESK
  • Embargoed: 6th February 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Legal System
  • Reuters ID: LVA74ICWWZQMPQ6H4WJ5EQSPVIJE
  • Story Text: A Moscow court on Thursday (January 21) threw out an appeal by a lesbian couple to overturn an earlier court ruling which rejected their attempt to register their marriage in Russia.
    Irina Fet and Irina Shipitko had asked the Tverskoi district court to overrule a decision by a registry office which refused to endorse their marriage in May. It quoted Russian laws which defined marriage as a "union between a woman and a man".
    Talking to journalists outside the court after their appeal was refused, Fet and Shipitko said the Moscow court had backed the ZAKS registry-office decision to reject their bid to marry officially.
    The couple said they would continue to fight the case, but in the meantime they would travel outside Russia to get married.
    "We plan to appeal this decision everywhere we can and we are flying to Canada to get married on 23 October. Later on, we'll demand the recognition of a foreign marriage in Russian territory," said Fet, a 30-year-old PR consultant.
    Although post-Soviet Russia no longer prosecutes homosexuals as criminals and many high-profile Russians are open about their same-sex relationships, gays and lesbians remain public outcasts.
    Russian gay activist Nikolai Alexeev joined the couple in court. "This is an investment in the future," he said.
    "We are not yet sure if we will carry this appeal further in the Russian justice system, because we see it is, to some extent, pointless in Russia, so we will wait for the official copy of this verdict and prepare an appeal to the European Court," he said.
    In the past few years, Moscow authorities have consistently banned gay parades, describing them as an offence and a threat to public order.
    A bid by Fet and Shipitko to register their marriage, the latest in a string of similar failed attempts, has been aimed at changing public perception of homosexuality in Russia.
    It was not clear if the couple were planning to appeal against the Tuesday's ruling in a higher court in the country.
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