MOSCOW, August 27 (RAPSI) – Investigators have raided apartments belonging to prominent Russian LGBT activist Nikolai Alexeyev, against whom a criminal case has been launched over his Twitter remarks addressing senior MPs, RIA Novosti reported Tuesday. 

“Investigators of Russia’s Investigative Committee have visited Alekseyev at his place of residence to carry out a search sanctioned by a court,” – the agency quoted an unnamed representative of the Committee as having said. 

Alekseyev had reported the raid via Twitter earlier. 

The head of the children’s issues committee in Russia’s lower house of parliament, Yelena Mizulina, and her first deputy Olga Batalina informed the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office that Alexeyev had posted offensive remarks about them on Twitter while commenting on Russia’s recent enactment of the gay propaganda ban.

Mizulina told Izvestia newspaper that prosecutors were requested to launch a criminal case on charges of “insulting a representative of authority.” The charges entail a fine of up to 40,000 rubles (over $1,000) or community service.

Her deputy Batalina said she did not feel offended, but was seeking to protect all lawmakers from further insults.

On June 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill banning the promotion of homosexuality toward minors.

According to the law, fines for the promotion of same-sex relationships among children range from 4,000 to 5,000 rubles ($122-$153) for individuals, 40,000 to 50,000 rubles ($1,223-1,530) for officials, and 800,000 to 1 million rubles ($24,460-$30,570) for legal entities.