The founder of the Russian Children-404 LGBT support group, Lena Klimova, has been charged with violating the country’s ‘homosexual propaganda’ ban and faces a fine of up to 100,000 rubles (£1,700).

Klimova set up the group on Russian social network VK as a self-help network for Russian LGBTI youth after she began receiving letters from young people describing their experiences growing up gay; the letters talked about bitterness, bullying and parental rejection.

According to the infringement notice, the journalist ‘had registered a web page propagandising non-traditional sexual relations among minors, which took form of distribution of information among minors aimed at forming of non-traditional sexual affirmations, attraction to non-traditional sexual relations, distorted conceptions of social equality of traditional and non-traditional sexual relations.’

She commented: ‘In light of general trends in the country, I am not surprised. But it is very sad that letters from LGBT teenagers themselves are called “homosexual propaganda among minors”. It is absurd! Milonov, the complaint initiator, has two demands: to fine me and to close the group. If it will be closed, LGBT teenagers will lose the only place where they can openly speak about themselves and receive advice they need to live. It will be a catastrophe.

‘At least every third LGBT teenager in Russia thought about suicide, and at least every fifth tried to commit suicide at least once. As reason for suicidal thoughts, teenagers name internal homophobia, physical and psychological abuse (including outing) from relatives and acquaintances. Most often suicidal thoughts arise if a teenager is lonely and has nobody to talk to and to trust. On the contrary, those with reliable friends or accepting parents almost never think about suicide.’

The law which ‘protects children from information which damages their health and development’ also says that information may not be divulged that may endanger their lives or health, or lead to suicide; anything that contains expletives or suicide; anything which justifies illegal behaviour; and anything which encourages or justifies the legitimacy of violence or cruelty against people.