A young Russian man has been forced into hiding after an investigation was launched into an educational video series he took part in.
Maxim Pankratov, 21, is a young gay man who appeared in a ‘real talk’ video series where children asked adults from different backgrounds questions about their lives. Pankratov appeared as a gay man, while the other guests in the series included an African man, a person of short stature, a woman with anorexia, and others.
During the YouTube video series the kids asked questions. Pankratov he tells them how he found out about his sexual orientation, how other people treat him, how he likes to dress, how he feels about girls, and how eventually he would like to get married and to have his own biological children or adopt a child. There was no discussion of sex or physical intimacy.
“I thought it was a normal conversation with children, there was no discussion of sex,” Pankratov told CNN. “It was about what it’s like to be a gay man in Russia and how I live. We wanted to show society that you can be tolerant.”
After the video series aired an inquiry was launched into the video, with politicians claiming it contravenes Russia’s law which prohibits information about homosexuality being shared with children. The investigation is classing the video as a “violent sexual assault” on the children.
Kyle Knight, the senior lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights researcher at Human Rights Watch said the approach being taken by Russian authorities was terrifying.
“This case is a particularly disturbing example of authorities using Russia’s ‘gay propaganda’ law as a tool for discrimination and intimidation,” Knight said. “The perniciousness of the ‘gay propaganda’ law apparently knows no boundaries. A criminal charge of sexual assault of children for a YouTube video that contained no sexual content is as outrageous as it is terrifying.”
After the government blocked the video from being seen, and began describing its contents as a violent sexual assault on children, Pankratov had to deal with vigilantes who believed he had been filmed sexually assaulting minors. He was too afraid to report the harassment out of fear he could be arrested over the video and potentially face 20 years of imprisonment.
The young man told Human Rights Watch a week after the criminal investigation was announced he was chased by two men he didn’t know and barely escaped their attack. He found his social media was bombarded with messages accusing him of being a sex offender. He is now in hiding.
Journalist Sarah Rainsford from the BBC traveled to Russia and met Pankratov and he told her of the ordeal he’s been through.
“I’ve lost everything, I don’t think I’ll be able to live in Russian now.” he said. describing the accusations of paedophilia as madness.
Watch his interview with the BBC.
OIP Staff
