by Rex Wockner
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The chairman of Russia's Constitutional Court, Valery Zorkin, said Dec. 23 that the recent European Court of Human Rights decision that struck down Moscow City Hall's annual bans of gay pride celebrations disrespected Russian sensitivities, especially those of predominantly Islamic republics within the Russian Federation.
Zorkin accused the Euro court judges of sitting in a "glass building and throwing stones."
In a group of cases brought by Moscow Pride founder Nikolai Alekseev, the court determined that Moscow's pride bans violated guarantees of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the areas of freedom of assembly and association, right to an effective remedy and prohibition of discrimination.
Russia was ordered to pay Alekseev 12,000 euros ($15,928) in damages and 17,510 euros in costs and expenses.
The ruling has not yet come into force, but will be finalized before next summer's sixth attempted Moscow pride parade. It is unknown if the city will accede to the decision.
