Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 19:32:07 +0700
From: Sergey Kuzmin <seroi@chat.ru>
Subject: Gay Rights Violation in Siberia

Dear friends,

I hope it will be interesting to you to learn about the  current
situation with the rights of homosexuals in Russia. Below is the
declaration that our association Astarta is now spreading everywhere.

With kind regards
Sergey Kuzmin



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

                DECLARATION

The derangement of the action devoted to the 5 years anniversary of
Tomsk gay association Astarta occured not by our fault. Unfortunately,
we have to declare: our rights in Tomsk are being violoted.

Tomsk region association Astarta was enrolled by the justice
department of Tomsk region administartion in 1993. It happened just
after the abolition of the article in Penal Code punishing homosexual
relations. In the same year the association became a full member of
the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA).

The main objectives of our activity are social adaptation of sexual
minorities, arrangement of leisure, work of the confidence phone
service, development of democratic process in our society. But
despite these generous goals we have been facing a lot of problems
since the very foundation. We were refused in registration by the tax
inspection. The local bodies interfere in our work, we informed about
it the local media many times.

In May, 1995 we decided to organize an itnernational gay and lesbian
film festival Pinl Flamingo. However, in autumn 1995 there was
established a criminal case of the executive director of the
association, documents of Astarta including the official statute were
confiscated. After a while they returned the documents but our
statute is still in the justice court. Nevertheless, suffering large
financial and moral losses we did succeed organizing the festival. A
great assistance was rendered by our foreign partners and the
festival took place in spite of obstacles of the militia.

During 5 years we encounter violation of our rights. They refused us
in renting premises, perlustrate our correspondence, threaten through
the contact phone. And on May 21, 1994 there occured a robbery in our
headquarters.

Now the work of the association is completely blocked. The executive
director was been made to give a written undertaken not to live a
place which deprives him of possibility to work and to accept
invitations from other russian cities and from abroad. Recently he
had to decline the invitation to visit ILGA European Conference in
Austria in October, 1998.

In such a situation we have to appeal to all people who care the
rights and freedom of ten percents of the russian population.

We appeal to the governments of those countries where rights of
homosexuals are respected and ask for political asylum.

We appeal to support us by protest letters which can be sent to the
following address:

Governor of Tomsk Region Victor Kress, Lenin pr. 6, Tomsk 634050,
Russia.

Executive Director
of Tomsk regional association Astarta
Sergey Kuzmin




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