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Russian Photographer Sentenced to 18 Months of Forced Labor for Gay K-Pop Fanfiction

The ruling shows how Russia’s expanded anti-LGBT laws are reaching noncommercial fan works online.

Overview

  • A Yekaterinburg court convicted 36-year-old Alexandra Kuzyk of producing illegal pornography and ordered 18 months of compulsory labor with 10% of her wages withheld.
  • The case started after a woman reported finding Kuzyk’s same-sex fanfiction on her underage daughter’s device and sent screenshots to the media regulator Roskomnadzor.
  • An LGBT health group, Parni+, said the story at issue was based on members of the K‑pop group Stray Kids.
  • Police searched Kuzyk’s home in the Beloyarsky District and took books, two laptops, two smartphones, an iPad, and 20 CDs.
  • Kuzyk admitted writing the stories as a longtime hobby and not for sale, as reporters tie the case to wider crackdowns that have fined the MangaLIB site and spurred raids tied to the Popcorn Books imprint.