BBC News, 13
May 2013
Related
Stories
The shocking murder in Volgograd sparked much social media comment |
The
victim's naked body had been dumped in a courtyard in the city of Volgograd.
His skull was smashed and he had been sodomised with beer bottles.
Officials
quoted by Russian media say the suspects had been drinking with the 23-year-old
man and turned on him when he told them he was gay.
Gay rights
activists say the case reflects growing intolerance in Russia.
The
authorities are encouraging that intolerance towards homosexuals, the activists
allege.
There are
fears that homophobia is being fuelled by legislation banning gay parades and
dissemination of "homosexual propaganda" to anyone under 18.
The body
was discovered on Friday after Victory Day celebrations in Volgograd, formerly
Stalingrad, which are held annually to mark the Soviet victory over Nazi
Germany in World War II.
One of the
suspects had been a classmate of the victim, reports say.
The two
suspects are aged 22 and 21. The 22-year-old had previously been convicted for
burglary.
The
viciousness of the attack sparked numerous comments in Russian social media.
The
state-owned television channels - the main source of news for most Russians -
did not report the case prominently. But it was widely reported in the
newspapers, including in the government-owned Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Community
fears
In January
a bill banning "homosexual propaganda" passed its first reading in
the Russian parliament. The second reading is planned for 25 May.
The bill
envisages a nationwide ban on events promoting gay rights and big fines for the
organisers. A similar law is already in force in St Petersburg.
The
European Court of Human Rights has fined Russia for banning gay pride marches
in Moscow.
A prominent
gay activist in Russia, Nikolai Alexeyev, says the gay community has asked the
Moscow authorities for permission to hold a march in the city centre this
month, despite the previous refusals.
The request
offered two dates - 25 or 26 May - to celebrate 20 years since Russia stopped
treating homosexuality as a criminal offence, Interfax news agency reports.
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