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MOSCOW, July 2 (RIA Novosti) – Four gay-rights activists were detained on Tuesday afternoon for staging an unsanctioned rally in downtown Moscow, the city's police press service said.
Three of the activists were lying face-down in a puddle of fake blood with pictures on their backs showing “real victims of homophobia,” LiveJournal user Lanka_Red wrote in a post about the demonstration, which took place outside the presidential administration building.
The fourth detained activist was standing nearby, holding a banner in protest of a recently introduced law that bans the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” in the presence of minors.
Permission from Moscow’s City Hall is required for any protest in which more than one person participates at a single time.
While critics of the ban on promoting “non-traditional sexual relations” allege that the measure violates the civil rights of gays in Russia, proponents say it shields children from harmful influences.