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  Russia’s Muslim Spiritual Administration at odds over ban on interfaith marriages

  The controversial announcement from the Russian Muslim Spiritual Administration that opposed interfaith marriage between Muslims and non-Muslims.
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  Catholics Will Convert to Orthodoxy Over Pope’s LGBT Support, Russian Church Predicts

  Pope Francis' recent endorsement of same-sex civil partnerships has led Roman Silantyev, the leader of the Orthodox Church’s World Russian People’s Council, to predict that a large number of Catholics will convert to Orthodox Christianity or Protestantism. He accounts this to the fact that the Orthodox Church "doesn't compromise" on its conservative values. It seems unlikely that large scale conversion will occur, but it also seems equally unlikely that the Pope's support of the LGBT community will lead to any change in the Orthodox Church's stance on same-sex partnerships, which they currently strongly condemn.
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  ‘I will remember her ashes forever’ Why Nizhny Novgorod’s most independent journalist, Irina Slavina, burned herself alive in front of the local police station

  The death of Irina Slavina, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the free journalism KozaPress, is the living evidence of media censorship and violation of free speech in Russia.
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  Film festival director fined for violating Russia’s ‘gay propaganda law’

  The former director of the “Dukh Ognya” (Spirit of Fire) film festival was fined approximately $634 for screening the film "Outlaw" in March, despite the fact that she was not in charge of choosing the films. A court ruled that this film violated the "gay propaganda" law because one of the main characters was a gay teenager. Interestingly, state prosecutors were first made aware of this situation because there was public outrage over the screening. Now, many venues are refusing to show the film, and the festival organizers even faced threats on social media. This article demonstrates that those who are a part of or support the LGBTQ community face adversity not only from the government, but also from the public due to the prevalence of homophobia in society.
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  ‘Blame the Russian Federation’ Journalist Irina Slavina’s self-immolation came after years of constant pressure from the authorities

  This article points to the political parties (in Russia) responsible for the death of the correspondent Irina Slavina.
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  ‘A flagrant rights violation’ State investigators in Russia reportedly plan to arrest single gay fathers on child trafficking charges

  Russia’s Investigative Committee is planning to arrest a number of single, gay men on child trafficking charges and threatening to place their children in foster care for the duration of the investigation. These men became fathers through in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures and surrogate mothers, which is against Russian law because only married couples and single women are allowed to act as donors. This law demonstrates the pervasive homophobia present in Russian society and how it is reflected in policy.