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| - The US, British and Canadian embassies in Russia, where homophobia is still persistent, displayed Friday rainbow flags at their buildings in Moscow as part of the global celebrations of Pride Month. Envoys of the three countries together with diplomats from Australia, Iceland and New Zealand affirmed in a statement "the inherent human right of each individual". "Unfortunately, LGBTI+ individuals throughout the world continue to face violence, harassment, and discrimination simply because of who they are," the statement said. It added that law enforcement agencies "often turn a blind eye to the hate speech and hate crimes that are still prevalent in many countries". The US embassy shared a photo on Twitter of recently returned ambassador John Sullivan hoisting up a rainbow flag outside their building. Sullivan resumed his post in Moscow on Thursday after a US-Russia summit aimed at reducing tensions. The British and the Canadian embassies also posted photos of rainbow flags displayed at their headquarters. Last June, the US embassy flew a rainbow flag outside its building, drawing mocking comments from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who suggested it reflected on the sexual orientation of the diplomats. Although Russia decriminalised homosexuality in 1993, general intolerance towards the LBGT community is prevalent in the country, fuelled by government policies. In 2013, Russia passed a law banning the "propaganda" of homosexual relations that has been used as a pretext to ban pride events and the display of rainbow flags. Hungary last week passed a law banning the "promotion" of homosexuality to minors in what critics have compared to Russia's "gay propaganda" legislation. Last year, Russia added a phrase to its constitution saying that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, codifying the country's homophobic climate. acl/emg/pvh
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