Fifty members of
Congress from both parties joined in sending a letter to
Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday, urging him to
condemn the antigay violence that occurred during
pride celebrations in Moscow in May. The letter
(reproduced below) accuses Yuri Luzhkov, the mayor of
Moscow, of encouraging the violence by refusing to issue a
parade permit and by announcing that the city's law
enforcement forces would be unable to protect the
marchers.
Gay Massachusetts
congressman Barney Frank was the driving force behind
the letter, and he was joined by fellow out representatives
Tammy Baldwin and Jim Kolbe as well as 47 others.
Putin has made no
public statements about the violence or about the
rights of LGBT Russians in general. "It would be
particularly appropriate for President Putin to speak
out against these attacks and help prevent future
abuses," Frank said in a statement, "now that Russia
holds the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers within
the Council of Europe, a body dedicated to defending
human rights and promoting rule of law."
(Advocate.com)
The letter
follows:
June 30, 2006
His Excellency
Vladimir V. Putin President of the Russian
Federation 4 Staraya Square Moscow
103132 Russia
Dear President
Putin,
We write as
members of the United States Congress to express our dismay
over the riots and violence against gay and lesbian marchers
in Moscow during a gay pride parade in late May.
It seems to us
evident that any government of the people would seek to
protect all people, so we were very disappointed that Moscow
mayor Luzhkov claimed in denying the parade permit
that he would not be able to ensure the safety of the
marchers.
We believe that
the mayor's public statements and his banning of the
parade itself--as well as the fact that provocative and
violently anti-gay statements by religious leaders and
others went unrepudiated by elected officials--helped
create a situation in which violence against gay and
lesbian people was in fact more likely to happen, if not
inevitable.
In fact, given
reports that some police stood by while gay and lesbian
marchers were attacked, it is difficult for us to believe
that the police were unable to protect the marchers,
but instead were simply unwilling to do so.
We hope you agree
that violence against people based on sexual
orientation--people who are doing no harm to anyone else--is
outrageous and not acceptable. We urge you to publicly
make clear this sentiment to those who would seek to
do harm to gay and lesbian individuals, to public
officials and civil leaders who provoke or inadequately
respond to such violence, and to the gay and lesbian
citizens of Moscow and beyond who deserve to live,
gather and associate without fear of violence.
REP. BARNEY
FRANK REP. SHERWOOD BOEHLERT REP.
STENY H. HOYER REP. TOM LANTOS REP.
MICHAEL N. CASTLE REP. JAMES A. LEACH
REP. NITA M. LOWEY REP. GARY L. ACKERMAN
REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS REP. CAROLYN B.
MALONEY REP. JOSEPH CROWLEY REP.
DENNIS J. KUCINICH REP. JAMES P. McGOVERN
REP. STEVEN R. ROTHMAN REP. JERROLD NADLER
REP. LOIS CAPPS REP. MICHAEL R. McNULTY
REP. DONALD M. PAYNE REP. JANICE D.
SCHAKOWSKY REP. RUBEN HINOJOSA
REP. SAM FARR REP. TAMMY BALDWIN REP.
LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD REP. RUSH D. HOLT
REP. LUIS V. GUTIERREZ REP. MARTIN T. MEEHAN
REP. FRANK PALLONE JR. REP. EDOLPHUS TOWNS
REP. PETER A. DeFAZIO REP. STENY H. HOYER
REP. JIM KOLBE REP. HOWARD L. BERMAN
REP. ROBERT WEXLER REP. MAXINE WATERS
REP. EARL BLUMENAUER REP. ELIOT L. ENGEL
REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN REP. RAUL M.
GRIJALVA REP. MARY BONO REP. CAROLYN
McCARTHY REP. JIM McDERMOTT REP.
SHERROD BROWN REP. BARBARA LEE REP.
KENDRICK B. MEEK REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN
SCHULTZ REP. GWEN MOORE REP. ZOE
LOFGREN REP. JOHN W. OLVER REP. LINDA
T. SANCHEZ REP. WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT
