By Andrew Warshaw
August 19 – Russia’s sports minister Vitaly Mutko, who is also head of the country’s 2018 World Cup organising committee, has accused western media of overplaying the anti-gay issue that has caused such a furore among athletes, officials, politicians and activists.
Legislation prohibiting “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors” has provoked an international backlash since President Vladimir Putin signed it off in June amid growing concern over both the winter Olympics in Sochi next year and the World Cup.
FIFA last week said it has now officially asked the 2018 World Cup hosts to explain more fully the contentious new law, asking for “clarification and more details”, and reminded the country of its obligation to abide by anti-discrimination protocol.
The new bill punishes “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” with fines that can exceed $30,000. Crucially, foreign citizens violating the legislation face up to 15 days in jail and deportation.
But Mutko insists the legislation is not just about homosexuality but also to protect Russian youth from “drugs, drinking and non-traditional relationships”, pledging that athletes coming to Russia would not face prosecution.
“I think the Western mass media focus on this law much more than we do in Russia,” Mutko said at the end of world athletics championships in Moscow, stressing that the leglislation had nothing to do with human rights.
“I have had to reply to this question on several occasions these past few days,” he said. “I repeat again this law does not deprive anyone of their rights. I haven’t heard of one incident here. This is an invented problem. We don’t have a ban on non-traditional relationships.
“This law is about protection of the young generation whose psyche has not yet been formulated and formed and before they have reached maturity. It is to protect them against drinking, drugs and non-traditional sexual relationships. This law is all about protecting the rights of children and not to deprive anyone of anything.”
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