The police in Russia began to call in transgender people for interviews

In St. Petersburg and the Arkhangelsk region, transgender people began to be called to the police. As the human rights organization “Sfera” reports, they receive phone calls and summons demanding to appear at the police department with documents. Law enforcement agencies demand to present certificates of trans transition (change of gender marker in the identity card) and to explain the circumstances of their receipt.

“Sfera” already cites three such cases. According to human rights activists, transgender people were required to tell when and where they received certificates, how much they paid and who accompanied them to the medical examination. They are threatened that, if the certificate is called invalid during the inspection, its owner will be obliged to return the gender that was indicated in the documents before the transfer. Law enforcement officers cite, for example, the fact that the certificate was issued too quickly, in their opinion, as a reason for initiating an investigation.

“Mediazona” clarifies that the subpoenas come on behalf of regional departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for economic security and anti-corruption. According to Kata Dykovskaya, head of the Sphere legal aid service, such actions by the police are connected with the inspection of institutions that issue medical reports.

In addition, the police ask transgender people if they have attended LGBT+ events, such as parties.

• In July 2023, the State Duma adopted a law completely prohibiting transgender transition – the so-called “sex change”. Both surgical operations in this area and hormonal therapy are prohibited, as well as changing the entry in the “gender” column in the documents.
• On November 30, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the “international public LGBT movement” as extremist. Such an organization does not exist, but lawyers believe that now any activity in defense of the rights of LGBT people in Russia will be outlawed.