Russian gay activists urge Olympic president to launch ‘investigation’ into anti-gay laws
Russian gay activists have urged the President of the International Olympic Committee to launch an “investigation” into the country’s anti-gay laws ahead of the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.
According to BuzzFeed, representatives from a coalition of Russian gay rights organisations called on IOC President Thomas Bach to break his silence during a Paris meeting on Saturday.
The meeting came after Mr Bach refused an invitation to meet with the Russian LGBT Network in October, during a trip to Moscow, in which he was reassured by President Vladimir Putin that that Olympic athletes would feel “comfortable regardless of sexual orientation”.
The coalition wrote: “We believe that this legislation and the environment infringe and debase the Olympic values, and the IOC is in the unique position of both power and responsibility to ensure that the Winter Olympics 2014 do not embrace discrimination and violence against LGBT persons.
“We are aware of and are gravely concerned with the fact that the IOC does not acknowledge the urgency and necessity of this action.”
According to National Post, international gay rights group AllOut said in a statement: “A list of precise questions about the implication of the anti-gay laws, to help frame the investigation, were submitted and received by the IOC president.”
“The IOC will announce later whether or not the investigation will be done.”
Thomas Bach replaced Jacques Rogge as IOC president in September.
