In addition to LGBTQ+ books, six of the books were on feminism, one by popular dissident author Vladimir Sorokin and two others authored by \u201cforeign agent\u201d journalists Sergei Parkhomenko and Valery Panyushkin, the bookstore\u2019s staff member told<\/a> the Telegram news channel Rotonda.<\/p>\n The broadcaster 78.ru showed<\/a> uniformed police officers speaking with the store\u2019s employees and shared photographs of its shelves with the labels \u201cfeminism\u201d and \u201cgender studies.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tnews \t\t\t\tJustice Ministry Investigating TV Presenter Urgant Over Alleged Foreign Influence The St. Petersburg news website Fotanka reported<\/a> that the authorities were particularly interested in books issued by the publishing house Ad Marginem, which publishes works by Sorokin, Sontag and other authors.<\/p>\n Major Russian bookstores Chitay-Gorod, Labirint and Respublika proactively withdrew<\/a> LGBTQ+ books from their stocks in late 2022 as an act of self-censorship.\u00a0<\/p>\n That December, President Vladimir Putin signed<\/a> an expansion of his 2013 \u201cLGBT propaganda law\u201d which banned the display of LGBTQ+ relationships and \u201clifestyles\u201d from books and other media.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since then, Russian journalists have circulated<\/a> lists of hundreds of books that they claimed were banned under the new \u201cLGBT propaganda\u201d law. Russian authorities deny keeping a list of banned books.<\/p>\n A Message from The Moscow Times:<\/strong><\/p>\n Dear readers,<\/p>\n We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has designated The Moscow Times as an “undesirable” organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a “foreign agent.”<\/p>\n These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work “discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership.” We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.<\/p>\n We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help<\/a>.<\/p>\n Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It’s quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.<\/p>\n By supporting The Moscow Times, you’re defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tContinue\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Not ready to support today? \u00d7<\/p>\n \t\tRemind me next month<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\t\t\tThank you! Your reminder is set.\n\t\t<\/p>\n
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