Above is a video of Lt Dan Choi and Louis-Georges Tin in Moscow Pride. Courtesy of loganmucha.com.
More over at Pam's House Blend, Pam Spaulding captured Dan's Tweet stream as he was arrested:
LGBT Activists (led by Russian Transgender citizen (male pronoun) Anna Komarova) arrested after attacks by Neo-Nazis
Headed to unknown Moscow Station
Right ear ringing small bleeding, 8 in the car including me and Andy Thayer.
Dan Choi
Street Address: Litvina Sidogo 3A.
8 minutes ago
Dan Choi
We are here: (gray dot) Right ear ringing small bleeding, 7 in the car including me and Andy Thayer. yfrog.com/h7llghwj
11 minutes ago
Dan Choi
We are entering Presnensky Police Station 1905, Moscow. yfrog.com/h0vxqiijj
22 minutes ago
Dan Choi
Our group was led by Transgender Russian Citizen (male pronoun) Anna Komarova, 29 yrs old. yfrog.com/h84svetej yfrog.com/hs5lupsj
26 minutes ago
Dan Choi
Russian Arrestees: Tim Magomedor (25yo), Alexy Kiselev 27, Elizaveta Nikitina 23, Alexander Shiriaev 24, Andzey Zayziev 25.
30 minutes ago
Dan Choi
Right ear ringing, small bleeding, 8 in the Moscow Police squad car including Louis Georges-Tin, Andy Thayer and me. "Glasnost!"
34 minutes ago
We knew this was coming. Choi earlier this week announced his intention to join the activists:
Army Lieutenant Dan Choi, outspoken Don't Ask Don't Tell activist, is in Russia this week in solidarity with LGBT activists there, who are defying the recent ban on Moscow pride, scheduled for this Saturday May 28. While activists plan to march in defiance of the ban, the Moscow police have vowed to break up the parade, and religious and Neo-Nazi extremist groups have announced they'll be out in force as well. Dan Choi filmed a short video from in front of the Kremlin, announcing his intention to march with Russian activists, and risk arrest while doing it.
United States gay activist Lt. Daniel Choi traveled to Moscow to show his support for Russian LGBT activists after their government banned Moscow Pride 2011.
Please call the Russian embassy in Washington to protest the ban and demand that the Russian government prevent violence and arrests at Moscow Pride. Phone 202-338-3263
The ban referenced is one imposed by the Russian government on an LGBT rights demonstration. Earlier this month the Government rejected the application citing fears of "civil unrest."
The decision by Moscow’s city council ignores a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, which said that the city had illegally banned three pride events between 2006 and 2008.
Alexeyev told the Associated Press that this was the sixth time authorities had refused the request for a rally, and that activists would go ahead with a peaceful demonstration despite the ban.
“Of course it is illegal because the [European] court decision, which was clear in its interpretation of article 11 of the European convention, and which we are quoting as the basis for this. It doesn’t even have any basis in Russian legislation,” Alexeyev told The Moscow News.
The Human Rights Court of Europe decision was handed down in October 2010.
It said that by refusing to allow the parades, the authorities had "effectively approved of and supported groups who had called for (their) disruption".
"The mere risk of a demonstration creating a disturbance was not sufficient to justify its ban," the court said.
It ordered Russia to pay Mr Alexeyev 29,510 euros ($41,090) in damages and for legal fees.
"This is a crippling blow to Russian homophobia on all accounts," Mr Alexeyev said after the verdict was announced.
"The authorities now have to ensure the security of peaceful gay activists, and must allow our protests to take place in Moscow or any other city in Russia. We will be applying to hold a sixth gay pride event in Moscow in May 2011," he told the BBC's Russian service.
"We'll be taking the former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov to court: he broke the law by blocking our protests. We'll also be looking to hold to account those judges who continuously came to unlawful verdicts against us."
Dan Choi and the others are clearly in a dangerous spot, but I think after 15 months of combat duty in Iraq, Dan fully understands what it's like to be in danger.
And I am proud of him. His arrest is likely to spur an international conversation about LGBT human rights. Right now the international community "says" they the LGBT community of can have this march.
Problem is, when countries defy orders, such as the Human Rights Court, or United Nations resolutions, they pay no price. So there is no disincentive for abusing their LGBT citizens. But it makes the west feel nice to say, "We condemned it..."
What if Uganda passes it's kill the gays bill? Will the international community actually take action? Will we see sanctions? Or just press releases.
Dan knows he has the Human Rights Court of Europe behind him. He is challenging Europe to decide if that actually MEANS anything.
By placing himself in danger, Dan is using his fame and popularity to force people to stand behind their words of support. Many other activists could well be locked up and forgotten. But not Dan. He should be commended for his courage and conviction.
But only if we back him up. Dan put out a request: "need calls to Hillary Clinton: condemn violation of Russian and Universal rights of expression."
The State Department Contact page is here.
Their switchboard number is: 202-647-4000.
The Russian Embassy in Washington, DC is: 202 298 5700
The Russian police folded quick, Lt Choi tweeted 35 minutes ago:
18 arrestees all released in record time. It was your RT's and undaunted advocacy. Never stop. Today, Ich Bin Ein wall-tearing Activist.
His tweet stream tells the story, it's here. He says, "This has been my favorite Pride March yet." I ♥ him.
Put puts out this request:
Translation please? The charge against the Russian Second-Class Citizens
Good for Dan for utilizing the spotlight of his fame to shine a light on Russia's oppressive policies. This conversation between how progressive Western countries treat their LGBT citizens and how regressive states like Russia and Uganda violate their basic human rights really does need to happen.
It matters.
Update:
Wow.
Pretty brutal.More from AmericaBlog:
A video shot shortly after the arrest, Dan discusses the brutality.
10:59 AM PT: How odd. Dan is a New Yorker. His home state is on the precipice of an major LGBT rights milestone and he is a half a world away demonstrating for Rusaian citizen's right to peacably assemble.
FWIW, I know Dan is invested in NY marriage equality battle too. I think this merely represents his inability to be at two places at once.
Update 2 From AmericaBlog: "AMERICAblog Gay: TAKE ACTION: US gay rts activist Fmr. Lt. Dan Choi, others beaten at Moscow gay pride. Choi asks you to co-sign open letter to Sec. Clinton."
UPDATE: We have just published an open letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, signed by Dan Choi, asking her to speak out against this clear abuse of human rights in Moscow. Please add your signature to the letter - Dan will personally deliver it to the State Department when he returns to the states in a few days.
