Russian to Face Trial in St. Petersburg Tomorrow

Stand with Sergey in Russia

Sergey Kondrashov was arrested for defying St. Petersburg's anti-gay "propaganda" law. His crime? Holding up a poster saying his family friend, a lesbian, deserves the same rights as he and his wife.

Last Sunday Sergey Kondrashov was arrested in Saint Petersburg, Russia for holding up a banner that read: “A dear family friend is lesbian. My wife and I love and respect her … and her family is just as equal as ours."

In just five days Sergey will go to court, where he could be fined and even thrown in jail for 15 days for violating St. Petersburg's new "gay propaganda" law. With lawmakers in Russia's federal legislature (the Duma) looking to extend this "gay propaganda" law to the entire country - Sergey is taking a stand. He is asking Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to denounce the absurd anti-gay law that made him a criminal, and to do everything in his power to stop this unconstitutional law from spreading nationwide.

Sergey doesn't think of himself as an activist. He's just someone who thinks that all Russians - gay or straight - should be treated equal under the law. If you believe that it should never be illegal to defend the dignity of your friends and family who are gay, lesbian bi or trans - please stand with Sergey, and sign this petition to the Russian Prime Minister.

READ SERGEY'S LETTER TO ALL OUT MEMBERS

TO: Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation

We Russians and concerned world citizens urge you to condemn St. Petersburg's unconstitutional "gay propaganda" law, and prevent the law from spreading nation-wide.

Russia is a signatory to numerous international human rights treaties - including the European Convention on Human Rights - which strictly forbids such measures. We call on you to reverse course, respect Russia’s treaty obligations, and see to it that all charges are dropped against peaceful demonstrators.

All Out's Petition to Putin