Russia’s Supreme Court ruled today that LGBTI+ activists should be labeled terrorists, a move that gay and transgender advocates say risks leading to arrests and prosecutions.

A Reuters reporter in court heard the House announce that it had approved a Justice Department request to recognize what it called an “international LGBTI+ social movement” as extremist and ban its activities.

The move is part of an effort to increase restrictions in Russia on the expression of sexual orientation and gender identity, including laws banning the promotion of “non-traditional” sexual relationships and banning legal or medical gender reassignments.

President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to announce soon that he will seek a new six-year term in March, has long sought to promote an image of Russia as the guardian of traditional moral values ​​in contrast to the decadent West.

In a speech last year, Putin said the West was welcome to adopt “rather strange — in my view — so-called modern trends like dozens of genders and gay parades,” but it had no right to impose them on others. Countries.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters before the court ruling that the Kremlin “is not following the case and has no comment to make.”

The Supreme Court took just over two hours to issue a decision after the proceedings began at 09.00 Greek time.

The proceedings were closed to the media, but journalists were allowed to hear the decision.