Arrested for “gay propaganda”: Russia puts YouTubers behind bars

The YouTube videos are about kissing, jealousy and common sleeping routines: Haoyang and Gela publish videos about their gay life in Russia under their first names, which are not always meant seriously.

On the other hand, the Russian authorities take their YouTube channel “Haoyang & Gela” very seriously. The two were recently taken away by the police. The accusation: You spread “gay propaganda”.

Russia is taking increasingly harsh measures against homosexuals, queers and those who talk about relationships that do not correspond to a male-female constellation. Vladimir Putin himself regularly focuses on LGBTQIA in speeches, counting them among his favorite enemies, as it were. Only a father and a mother can create a “true Russian family,” says the Kremlin chief, if given the chance.

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A couple like Haoyang, 21, and Gela, 23, pose a threat at this reading. Now the YouTube couple found themselves in Kazan, a city with more than a million inhabitants in the southwest of the country. To avoid further problems, they only want their first name listed.

While Gela has since been released, Haoyang is in jail. He, who is originally from China, is threatened with deportation. T-Online has the corresponding process documents. Gela is also threatened with a fine. He must pay a fine of 200,000 rubles (about 2160 francs) for the same accusation.

Censorship controls YouTube videos

Haoyung’s detention comes as Russia ramps up its repression against LGBTQIA. Almost simultaneously, on April 6, an unnamed German in the eastern Russian region of Kamchatka was also convicted of “homosexual propaganda” and ordered to be deported to Germany.

The cases are based on a tightening of the law from the end of 2022. According to this, it is forbidden in Russia to publish or publicly teach about “non-traditional” sexuality, about homosexuality, queerness or transsexuality. The state media regulator Roskomnadzor monitors possible violations, for example on the book market, with streaming services, but also on social media.

In early January, the two bloggers Haoyang and Gela t-online said of the tightening: “The law defines everything we do as ‘misleading young people’. Even though we only breathe on Russian soil, we can be accused of ‘spreading the gay virus’ It’s gotten even scarier to live here.”

Subscribers put pressure on the police

The two have been living together in Kazan since 2021. Haoyang is a student, Gela is a barista and they manage their social media channels together. They currently have 378,000 followers on TikTok and 67,000 on YouTube, and since the law has been tightened, it has become clear that the authorities are also keeping a close eye on their content.

On April 5, Haoyang was stopped on the street during a police check in Kazan, Gela described afterwards. Police officers wanted to see Haoyang’s ID to check his registration as a foreigner.

Haoyang, who did not have the document with him, was taken away in handcuffs. Gela finally brought him the passport. The two were taken to a police station to check the registration. There they were told that they had spread “gay propaganda”, both had to remain in police custody and that Haoyang was threatened with deportation.

Minors among the subscribers

They were initially refused a lawyer, says Gela. Since they still had their cell phones at the time, they made their arrest public, forcing subscribers to their channels to call the police station, and the couple eventually got legal help.

After several hours at the police station, he was allowed to leave, says Gela. Haoyang was detained overnight and brought before a court in Kazan the next day. There he was found guilty. His sentence: seven days in prison followed by deportation from the Russian Federation. During his detention, he reported to his friend that he had to sleep on the floor.

According to the documents, the court was particularly concerned that the two touch and kiss in their videos. The court also criticized the fact that 1,791 of the (then) 64,900 subscribers to her YouTube channel “Haoyang & Gela” were minors.

The defense had the option to appeal within seven days. Adel Chaidarshin, the couple’s lawyer in Kazan, does not expect much from the move. He told t-online on Wednesday that he was able to visit Haoyang in custody, “he is fine”. But an appeal has little chance of success. The chance of release is also small, he wrote.

The seven-day sentence expires Thursday. Gela told T-Online he feared his partner would be kicked straight out of jail or have his detention extended. His own trial will take place in about two weeks.

He himself no longer feels safe in Russia, he writes. Weeks ago, the two sometimes fled from Kazan to Moscow because of threats. After her return, he no longer dared to go out on the street, says Gela. He is increasingly called by strangers and insulted on the phone. On social media, users had spread that the police and militia would soon come to Gela and Haoyang to “punish” them.

(t online)