Russian court fines Apple for violating 'LGBT propaganda' law

(Reuters) -A Russian court has fined U.S. tech giant Apple 10.5 million roubles ($130,483) in four separate administrative cases, three of which pertained to breaches of Russian rules on what Moscow calls LGBT propaganda, the Moscow courts' press office said on Monday.

Russia in 2023 widened restrictions on the promotion of "non-traditional sexual relations" amid a broader crackdown on LGBT rights, which President Vladimir Putin has sought to portray as evidence of moral decay in Western countries.

Moscow's Tagansky Court found Apple Distribution International Ltd guilty of three administrative offences related to LGBT propaganda, ordering that three fines of 2.5 million roubles each be paid. A fourth fine of 3 million roubles followed, for Apple's alleged failure to restrict access to unspecified online content that Moscow deems illegal.

Apple did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Apple's representative in court had requested that the hearings be closed to the public, the Mediazona news outlet reported, meaning that the root of each dispute was not known.

Russia has designated the "international LGBT movement" as extremist and those supporting it as terrorists, paving the way for serious criminal cases against LGBT people and their advocates.

Russian courts have issued fines for violations of the "LGBT propaganda" law, including to online film distributors and executives.

($1 = 80.4705 roubles)

(Reporting by Alexander Marrow and Maxim Rodionov; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

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