by Rex Wockner
International News Briefs
The Gagarin district court in Moscow on July 20 upheld the refusal of Russia's Justice Ministry to register an organization pushing for recognition of same-sex unions.
The ministry claimed it cannot officially approve Marriage Equality Russia because national law defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and the group's objectives therefore "conflict with the laws of the Russian Federation."
Activist Nikolai Alekseev says MER may appeal to the Supreme Court, then the European Court of Human Rights.
"The court has created a very dangerous precedent which goes much further than the campaign for gay rights, making it possible to deny registration to any organization whose purpose is to fight for changes in the Russian laws," he said.