The police have drawn up an administrative report on Elnara Askerova, designer from the city of Makhachkala, in Russia’s Dagestan, under Article on “LGBT propaganda” among minors on the Internet for organising a fashion show which featured men with makeup on, Mediazona reports, citing human rights group North Caucasus (NC) SOS.
The fashion show took place on 18 October; one of the male models was wearing a white suit, another — a sparkling grey suit; both of them were wearing makeup, the media outlet reports. According to Askerova, they were stage looks, and she invited women to watch the show — her female friends and acquaintances.
According to human rights defenders, a passer-by saw the fashion show through the windows and began to record it. A security guard asked the man not to film the show, however, the passer-by began to use threats and said that he would “call up 15-20 people”. Later, he posted videos and photos from the fashion show on social media.
The Article that Askerova could be charged with indicates punishment for dissemination of “non-traditional values” in media and on the Internet, even though the recordings were published by a passer-by and not Askerova, NC SOS notes.
According to human rights defenders, Askerova and the men who participated in the fashion show are receiving threats. The administrative case will be considered by a Makhachkala court on 25 November.
