Two foreign nationals detained at the Sadovod market in Moscow for allegedly wearing women's clothing have been arrested for 10 days and will be deported from Russia. They were charged with 'propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations,' according to Current Time, citing rulings by the Lyublinsky District Court of Moscow.
The detainees are Tajik citizens — traders Khasanjon R. and Yorghibegi M., according to the outlet Ostorozhno, Novosti. On the evening of August 18, they arrived at the Sadovod market, and visitors noticed them because of their women's clothing. What exactly they wore was not specified.
Judge Aleksandr Maslov ruled that the men 'demonstrated the attractiveness of non-traditional sexual attitudes.' The police report, however, does not specify what clothing items they were wearing or what the slogan 'Freedom of Choice' — which, according to police, accompanied their appearance — looked like.
During the hearing, it emerged that one of the detainees has a wife and a child, while the other has four minor children. After their arrest, they will be sent to the foreign nationals' detention center in Sakharovo, then deported by November 17. They will also be barred from entering Russia for five years.
Since 2013, Russia has had a law banning so-called 'LGBT propaganda' among minors. In 2023, the country banned gender transition, and later designated the 'international LGBT movement' as an extremist organization. This was followed by raids on queer spaces and administrative and criminal cases.