Russia defends 'homosexual propaganda' law

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday rejected criticism from the Dutch government and the European Union about proposed legislation that would outlaw "homosexual propaganda."

Responding to Dutch assertions that the legislation may be contrary to Russia's international obligations, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there were no such obligations.

"We don't have a single international or common European commitment to allow propaganda of homosexuality," he said.

Russia's lower house of parliament on Jan. 25 voted to support a bill that makes public events and dissemination of information about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to minors punishable by fines of up to $16,000. The bill still requires the parliament's and the president's final approval.

Lavrov spoke at a news conference with Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans, who on Feb. 1 had urged Russia not to put the bill into law and said he would raise the issue with Lavrov.

"Discrimination against homosexuals is unacceptable. Gay rights are human rights and Russia must adhere to its international obligations," Timmermans had said, calling on the Russian parliament not to approve the bill.

At the news conference, Timmermans said he and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton believe that the legislation "could infringe on fundamental rights."

Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993, but homophobia remains strong in the country. Authorities routinely ban gay rallies and parades.

Those behind the bill say minors need to be protected from "homosexual propaganda" because they are unable to evaluate the information critically.

Lavrov insisted on Tuesday that since homosexuality was decriminalized, gays have enjoyed full rights in Russia and "can go about their business absolutely freely and unpunished."

But Russia "has its own moral, religious and historical values," Lavrov said, warning against "another kind of discrimination when one group of citizens gets the right to aggressively promote their own values that run against those shared by the majority of the society and impose them on children."

The bill has drawn opposition from many Russians. Activists rallied outside the parliament building protesting the bill while several leading Russian magazines dedicated their latest issues to the problems that homosexuals face in Russia.

The Afisha bi-weekly ran the rainbow flag on its cover along with a dozen of double-spread profiles of Russians, from trendy journalists to utilities workers, speaking openly about their homosexuality.

The bill is backed by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party which holds a majority in the parliament so opponents' chances of blocking the legislation are slim. The parliament is going to discuss amendments to the bill until late May, making its passage before June highly unlikely.

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Madonna urges Russia to free anti-Putin punk band in Moscow

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Pop singer Madonna donned the trademark balaclava worn by punk band Pussy Riot during a concert in Moscow to demand Russia free three group members on trial for bursting into a Russian Orthodox church and singing a protest against Vladimir Putin.

The U.S. singer also stripped to a black bra to show the band's name written on her back in support of Pussy Riot's protest in Moscow's main cathedral against close links between the president and the clergy.

"I know there are many side to every story, and I mean no disrespect to the church or the government, but I think that these three girls - Masha, Katya, Nadya - I think that they have done something courageous," Madonna said to loud cheers from the crowd at Moscow's Olympiysky Stadium on Tuesday night.

"I pray for their freedom," she said.

Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, could face up to three years in jail for storming the altar of Christ the Saviour Cathedral on February 21 and belting out a "punk prayer" calling on the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Putin, who has been in power since 2000.

The group members hide their identity by wearing colored balaclavas during protests. Madonna put on a black balaclava at one point during the concert as a show of support.

Echoing comments she made in an interview with Reuters before the concert, she made clear she believed the women had already "paid the price" after spending five months in custody since their arrest.

"I know that everyone in this auditorium, if you are here as my fan, feels they have the right to be free," she said.

The singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and actor, who has often courted controversy during her career and sang songs including Like a Prayer and Like a Virgin, joined other international performers such as Sting, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More and Franz Ferdinand by commenting on the trial.

The case is seen by the opposition as part of a wider crackdown on dissent by Putin following the biggest protests since he rose to power in 2000, including toughening rules governing the Internet and increasing fines for protesters.

Pussy Riot's stunt took aim at both Putin and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, who backed him in this year's presidential campaign.

But the case has also angered many Russians, including some believers, who see the reaction of the state and church as disproportionate. The three women could be sentenced this week.

(Writing by Alissa de Carbonnel; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Roger Atwood)

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Syria forces hit rebels, Russia scorns opposition

Syrian forces stormed several rebel bastions on Wednesday despite a truce pledge, as Russia predicted the opposition would never defeat President Bashar al-Assad's army even if "armed to the teeth."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops stormed and shelled several towns or villages from early Wednesday, following fierce assaults and clashes the previous day which left at least 80 people dead.

"From the Turkish border in the northeast to Daraa in the south, military operations are ongoing," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based group, told AFP.

"Tanks are still shelling or storming towns and villages before going back to their bases," he added. "That does not mean they are withdrawing."

The assaults were taking place despite President Bashar al-Assad's pledge to implement by April 10 a six-point peace plan brokered by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.

The Observatory has charged that the army is torching and looting rebel houses across the country in a campaign that could amount to crimes against humanity.

It said that a total of 58 civilians were killed on Tuesday, including 20 who died in military assaults and in fighting between troops and rebels in Taftanaz region of restive northwestern Idlib province.

Another 15 civilians were killed when the army pounded rebel holdouts in the central city of Homs, while the remainder died in other flashpoints across the country, the Observatory said.

It added that 18 soldiers were killed in Homs, Idlib and the southern Daraa province, while four army deserters died in Idlib.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov predicted the under-equipped rebel force would never be able to defeat Syria's powerful military.

"It is clear as day that even if the Syrian opposition is armed to the teeth, it will not be able to defeat the government's army," the Interfax news agency quoted Lavrov as saying while on a visit to the ex-Soviet nation of Azerbaijan.

"Instead, there will be carnage that lasts many, many years -- mutual destruction."

Lavrov said that two groups of Syrian opposition representatives will be visiting Moscow in the coming days and that Russia will be using the meetings to convince them that it wants to help resolve the year-long crisis.

Annan on Monday told the UN Security Council that Assad had agreed to "immediately" start pulling troops out of protest cities and complete a troop and heavy weapon withdrawal by April 10.

The United States however Tuesday accused the Syrian leader of failing to honour his pledged troop withdrawal.

"The assertion to Kofi Annan was that Assad would start implementing his commitments immediately to withdraw from cities. I want to advise that we have seen no evidence today that he is implementing any of those commitments," US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.

With international concern at the situation growing, a draft UN Security Council statement was drawn up asking Syria to respect the April 10 deadline, according to a copy of the text seen by AFP.

The draft also urges the Syrian opposition to cease hostilities within 48 hours after Assad's regime makes good on its pledges.

It also calls on all parties to respect a two-hour daily humanitarian pause, as called for in Annan's plan.

Negotiations on the text -- distributed by Britain, France and the United States -- began on Tuesday. France's UN envoy Gerard Araud said he hoped it would be adopted late Wednesday or on Thursday.

Russia, Assad's veto-wielding ally in the Council, has rejected the idea of a deadline, with Lavrov saying "ultimatums and artificial deadlines rarely help matters."

Seeking to assuage some of the humanitarian concerns, foreign Minister Walid Muallem pledged Syria would do its utmost to ensure the success of a Red Cross mission as he on Tuesday met the organisation's head, Jakob Kellenberger, who was in Damascus to seek a daily ceasefire.

Kellenberger, on his third mission to Damascus since it launched a protest crackdown which the UN says has killed more than 9,000 people, said ahead of his latest trip that he would seek to secure a daily two-hour humanitarian ceasefire.

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