Employees of the "E" center came to the Far Eastern community center "Mayak", which helps LGBT people. The security forces broke into a closed event – a group of psychological support for people.
“As a target, the police chose a psychological support group for LGBT+ people. We remind you that absolutely all Mayak events are closed and take place only by appointment, so the comments of the police in the “propaganda” could not be considered adequate,” write the representatives of the center on Instagram.
Those gathered were detained, taken to the police station, where they were forced to give their fingerprints. Mayak noted that this is the first visit of law enforcement officers to the community center: previously they disrupted only events that took place outside the city. One of the activists was required to become an “informant”, otherwise they were threatened with the possibility of a personal accusation that he allegedly runs Mayak. At the same time, the site of the community center was blocked.
In December 2021, the Far Eastern Mayak was declared a "foreign agent". In April 2022, the Ministry of Justice added the head of the organization, Regina Zugkoeva, to its list. In the Far East, the center provides legal and socio-psychological assistance to LGBT people and women victims of violence.
