Russia Teen Arrested and Fined for 'Gay Propaganda' Appeals

Maxim Neverov, 16, who was fined 50,000 rubles (about $750) for saving a photo of two men hugging to an album on social media, has filed an appeal, reports Reuters.

The teen, who was found guilty of "promoting nontraditional sexual relationships among minors," denies that the picture he saved on the social network VKontakte was gay propaganda, which is banned by a law Russia enacted in 2013. He was the first minor charged under the law, and he was convicted by a commission that hears cases involving juveniles.

"Yesterday we mailed our appeal [to the authorities]. It should be considered and ruled on within two months," Neverov's lawyer Artyom Lapov told the Thomson Reuters Foundation Monday.

The law, which has been used to halt LGBTQ Pride marches and detain gay rights activists, is one of the many ways in which Russia seeks to silence queer people and others.

"All people's rights are being violated in Russia, not just LGBT people's," the 16-year-old said in an interview Sunday. "And I believe LGBT are just people, so there is no reason to fight for LGBT rights separately from everyone else's."