Apple encounters ‘gay propaganda’ investigation

(MENAFN) Apple is under legal scrutiny in Russia for allegedly violating the country’s laws on LGBT propaganda, TASS has reported. The Tagansky Court in Moscow received the legal documents for the case on Wednesday. The tech giant is accused of breaching Part 3 of Article 6.21 of Russia’s Administrative Violations Code, which prohibits the online promotion of non-traditional sexual relations, gender reassignment, and child-free ideologies.

Under Russian law, companies found guilty of such violations could face fines up to 4 million rubles ($48,200) or have their operations suspended for up to 90 days. However, the specific reason for the legal action against Apple has not been disclosed.

It is speculated that the case may be related to LGBTQ Pride Month wallpapers distributed through the App Store, as suggested by the Baza Telegram channel. Pride Month is celebrated each June in the United States.

The first hearing date for the case has not yet been set. Apple has faced fines in Russia before, including a fine of 800,000 rubles ($9,000) in January 2024 for refusing to remove Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" from its Apple Books app, despite it being classified as extremist material in the country.

Russia has progressively tightened its laws on LGBTQ-related content over the past decade, initially banning propaganda aimed at minors in 2013 and later extending those restrictions to adults in 2022. In 2023, the LGBTQ movement was officially designated as a terrorist organization in Russia.

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