A debate on Russia's proposed anti-gay bill has been shelved
after lawmakers failed to agree on its legal definitions.
The law would see people or organisations fined up to £1,000 for
the so-called "promotion" of homosexuality.
It would also put a blanket ban on gay Pride events, which have
been a contentious issue in recent years.
"We have decided to double-check all legal definitions related
to this bill," its author Vilatly Milonov, a deputy with the ruling
United Russia party, told reporters on Wednesday.
The postponement comes after global outrage over the proposed
legislation, which has been described by equality activists as
hateful.
In a statement made earlier this week, Amnesty International
described the bill as a "thinly veiled attempt" to fuel
discrimination against St. Petersburg's gay community.
"The notion that LGBT rights activists are somehow converting
Russia's youth through 'propaganda' would be laughable, if the
potential effects of this new law weren't so dangerous and
wide-reaching," Nicola Duckworth, the group's Europe and Central
Asia Program Director, told news site Ria Novosti.
