Gay Rights Group Appeals To Strasbourg Court

Gay rights activists hold a rally in St. Petersburg earlier this year.

A gay-rights organization in St. Petersburg has announced that it has filed a complaint against the city with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

The "Ravnopraviye" organization has asked the court to rule on the Russian city's refusal to give permission for a gay-pride parade in June 2011.

Activists held an unsanctioned parade that day, and 14 people were convicted of administrative violations.

The city also refused to give permission for a gay-pride march on July 7 of this year, and Ravnopraviye says it plans to submit a complaint to the European rights court about that as well.

The 2011 rejection was made on the grounds that the city did not approve the parade's route.

This year, the parade was rejected under a new local law that bans the "propagandizing" of homosexuality among minors.

Based on reporting by Interfax and gayrussia.ru