President Obama will meet with LGBT activists while he is in Russia, The White House reported.
The meeting will happen on Friday and will include representatives from groups supporting human rights, the environment, free media, LGBT rights and others, said the official, who asked not be identified in order to discuss the president's yet-to-be published schedule.
The report of this meeting has been applauded by the group Human Rights First:
"President Obama's decision to meet with civil society sends a clear signal that the United States stands in solidarity with those targeted by Russia's civil society and LGBT crackdown," said Innokenty Grekov, a program associate with Human Rights First who is in St. Petersburg this week. "In addition to this important meeting, President Obama should also speak out against Russia's human rights abuses and reaffirm that the United States stands firmly on the side of LGBT equality and human rights."
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