Moscow authorities defend gay march arrests

By Tony Grew • May 27, 2007 - 15:06

“The city's police will cut short any attempts at provocations in every legitimate way,“

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Most of the team members of the Pride Committee have been arrested in Moscow. Nikolai Alekseev, Alexey Davidov, Nikolai Khramov are being detained by police.

A spokesman for the Moscow City Interior Department, Viktor Biryukov, told Itar-Tass news agency:

"Organisers of the pride march had an opportunity to appeal the authorities' decision in court but they failed to provide sufficient legal grounds to the judges in support of the gay and lesbians' position.

"Moscow police don't have the right to encroach on the law to pander to a group of citizens who exploit the theme of human rights while distorting this notion as such.

"Organisers of this event cynically capitalise on the wishes of sexual minorities in their own petty interests and try to provoke disorders, but they don't defend the rights of gays and lesbians in reality.

"The city's police will cut short any attempts at provocations in every legitimate way," he said.

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