Chief of Russia’s Yandex faces court case for ‘LGBT propaganda'

By Lucy Papachristou

(Reuters) - The chief executive of Nasdaq-listed internet company Yandex faces prosecution in a Russian court for alleged offences under the country’s so-called “LGBT propaganda” law, a notice on the court's website said on Wednesday.

The move to prosecute Artem Savinovsky, for which no hearing date was listed, comes a day after a court levied a 1 million rubles ($11,048) fine against an online film database called Kinopoisk, owned by Yandex, under the same law.

Yandex told Reuters that the case against Savinovsky, who is also the CEO of Kinopoisk, is connected to Tuesday's fine over the "incorrect labelling of LGBT films."

Savinovsky's case is an administrative one rather than criminal, meaning it relates to violations of laws that do not cause significant harm or public danger. Yandex said it would appeal any court finding against its CEO.

Russia is intensifying its clampdown on LGBT rights which President Vladimir Putin has sought to portray as evidence of moral decay in Western countries from which Russia must be protected.

Last December, Putin signed a law expanding restrictions on the promotion of what it calls "LGBT propaganda", effectively outlawing any public expression of the behaviour or lifestyle of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals or transgender people in Russia.

18+ LABEL

Last month the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, gave its initial backing to legislation that would ban gender reassignment surgery for transgender people.

The fine against Yandex's Kinopoisk film database was for failing to attach an 18+ label to seven movies on its site, including British romantic comedy “Bridget Jones’ Diary,” British black comedy “Greed”, and the Italian comedy “Perfect Strangers.”

Kinopoisk had argued in its defense that the films could only be watched via a subscription, which is only available to viewers over 18, but the court dismissed the argument, independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported.

Russia’s leading technology firm, Yandex has struggled to balance domestic pressures with the interests of its Western investors since Moscow invaded Ukraine last February.

Last month a court fined the company 2 million roubles ($24,242) for repeatedly refusing to provide Russia’s security services with information about its users.

Yandex's Dutch-registered holding company Yandex NV is working on a corporate restructuring that will see it spin off its main revenue-generating businesses inside Russia and develop four newer units, separately, abroad.

Savinovsky became CEO last April after Yandex’s previous executive, Elena Bunina, stepped down shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He joined the company in 2008 and previously headed its media department, overseeing Kinopoisk and other services, according to Kommersant.

(Reporting by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by David Holmes and Mark Trevelyan)