Nikolai Alekseev's whereabouts unknown

[marshlander]

Russia's most well-known gay activist Nikolai Alekseev was arrested yesterday evening as he was about to board a plane to Geneva on a trip to give evidence at the European Court of Human Rights on the illegal ban of Gay Pride in Moscow.

The flight was delayed while his belongings were removed. He was taken to a secure room at the airport, but it is now feared he is in the hands of the FSB (the former KGB). No one seems to be admitting to knowing where he is.

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[marshlander]

This seems to be the latest news Interfax-Religion

16 September 2010, 16:59Moscow gay pride parade organizer Alexeyev found in Minsk

Moscow, September 16, Interfax - The organizer of Moscow gay pride parades, Nikolay Alexeyev, has said that he was expelled from Russia and that he is currently in Minsk.

"At the moment I am in Minsk. I was squeezed out to here," Alexeyev told Interfax via SMS on Thursday.

"I was taken [from Moscow's Domodedovo Airport] outside the city to some small town police station and was questioned there," Alexeyev said.

"They demanded that I sign a prepared paper stating that I recall the case about gay pride parades from the European Court due to a reached arrangement," he said.

Speaking of his immediate plans, Alexeyev said: "Over the next few days I will return to Russia and will attend an anti-Luzhkov picket on Tuesday."

"It is a matter of principle, and I will do everything to be there," he said.

Another co-organizer of Moscow gay pride parades Alexey Davydov, of the Solidarity movement, said earlier that Alexeyev was in an unknown location and some people demanded that he recall all lawsuits from the European Court of Human Rights over the ban on gay pride parades in the capital.

Representatives of gay communities make regular attempts to hold a gay pride parades in central Moscow, however their plans are being systemically rejected by the city authorities.

[marshlander]

And another update ...

[SIZE=3][B][B]Nikolai Alekseev, the Russian gay activist who was arrested by the authorities at a Moscow airport on Wednesday evening when he was about to board a flight to Geneva, is no longer in custody. He was removed from Russia and taken to Belarus. His partner has spoken to him this morning. It is believed that he will be taking a flight to Western Europe later today. "I think the story is on the way to being closed," Mr. Alekseev's partner told UK Gay News. [/B][/SIZE][/B]

[SlipknotRlZZ]

I am happy that as much as Bulgaria is influenced by Russia, we're not that...bad.

[fredv3b]

At least it proves that he is effective enough to annoy the authorities enough to detain him. Gay rights are no longer a question too unimportant for the Kremlin to consider.

[scottymorg]

oh Russia again??
Comon he's HUMAN!!!!!!!

[Rychard the Lionheart]

There are still some politicians in Moscow who wish to go back to Stalinism. Sadly it will take years and many deaths before these hardliners are gone.

[marshlander]

There are still some politicians in Moscow who wish to go back to Stalinism. Sadly it will take years and many deaths before these hardliners are gone.

And in the meantime I find the courage of Mr Alekseev awe-inspiring. I wonder if I would persist in being a thorn in the side of the authorities at the kind of cost he has endured. It's easy for me to stand in a large or small crowd and applaud speakers who speak my mind for me, but would I be able to do what he does? I wonder, and I hope I never have to find out.

[marshlander]

He is now safely back at home, I understand. Here is his Google-Translated blog entry about the affair.

Google Translate

You will need to scroll about a third of the way down the page to get to the right blog entry.

[Rychard the Lionheart]

I agree Marsh with what you say, but even here in this forum we have a silence majority who remain quite. They have a chance to voice their own opinions here but choose not to, some words from the past might inspire the silent ones to speak.

Pastor Martin Niemoller famous words, regarding the events when Hilter was in power.


In Germany they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me —
and by that time no one was left to speak up.