St.Petersburg, August 30 (RAPSI) – A St. Petersburg appeals court has overturned a judgment against a Russian company that was fined 20,000 rubles (approximately $600) over Lady Gaga’s show in December 2012, RIA Novosti reported from the courtroom.
ZAO Planeta Plyus, which organized the show, was fined for violating the law on the protection of children from information harmful to their health and development.
Under the law, producers and disseminators of any information including newspapers, magazines, television and radio broadcasts, must assign a rating to it or report on the restrictions on all types of information for various groups of minors. The ratings – appropriate for children of up-to-six, 12, or 16 years – are to be assigned depending on how much psychological harm the texts or images could cause to children, especially if they contain adult language or scenes of violence, or may encourage the use of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco.
A claim against Planeta Plyus was lodged by a St. Petersburg activist who visited the concert with her 13-year-old daughter. Relief was granted last May, and the company appealed the judgment.
An appeals court has remanded the case to the lower court for reconsideration.
Notably, municipal lawmaker Vitaly Milonov filed an application with the St. Petersburg Prosecutor's Office regarding Lady Gaga, claiming that her concert promoted homosexuality among children, that she used the Russian flag improperly, and that she slandered Russia.
Milonov is responsible for proposing the gay propaganda law which criminalizes "public action aimed at propagandizing sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism, and transgenderism among minors." Those charged with breaking the law face fines ranging between 5,000 ($161) and 500,000 rubles ($16,136).