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Russian court fines Apple over alleged LGBT violations

Russian court fines Apple over alleged LGBT violations

A Russian court has fined U.S. tech company Apple a total of 10.5 million roubles (approximately $130,000) in four separate administrative cases, three of which relate to alleged breaches of the country’s laws against LGBT “propaganda,” court officials said Monday.

According to the Moscow courts’ press office, the Tagansky District Court found Apple Distribution International Ltd guilty of promoting what Russian authorities label “non-traditional sexual relations.” The company was ordered to pay three fines of 2.5 million roubles each in relation to the charges. An additional 3 million rouble fine was issued over Apple’s alleged failure to restrict access to online content deemed illegal by Russian regulators.

Apple has not commented publicly on the ruling, and a request for comment sent via email went unanswered. During the hearings, Apple’s legal representatives reportedly asked for proceedings to be closed to the public, according to the independent news outlet Mediazona, leaving the specific nature of the content under dispute undisclosed.

The ruling comes amid an intensifying crackdown on LGBT rights in Russia. In 2023, Moscow broadened legislation banning what it calls “LGBT propaganda,” part of a wider effort by President Vladimir Putin to frame Western values as morally corrupt.

Russian authorities have since designated the “international LGBT movement” as extremist, a classification that allows the state to pursue criminal charges against activists and supporters. Courts have issued similar fines in recent months to online content platforms and media executives for violations of the same law.

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