Russia bans Elton John AIDS Foundation to defend 'spiritual and moral values'

By Andrew Osborn

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's General Prosecutor on Thursday banned the activities of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, accusing it of taking a negative stance towards countries like Russia that protect "traditional spiritual and moral values".

The prosecutor's office said its ban specifically applied to two non-governmental organisations, one registered in the United States and the other in Britain, both of them called the "Elton John AIDS Foundation". Both are officially designated as "undesirable organisations", it said.

The foundation was set up by the gay British singer and songwriter who in the past has given sell-out concerts in Russia and has spoken out against what he has said is unacceptable discrimination against gay people by the Russian authorities.

President Vladimir Putin has rejected such assertions. He has cast Russia as a bastion of "traditional values" locked in an existential struggle with a decadent West.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"When a musician plays along with the promoters of democracy, you get propaganda. And if Elton John is at the piano, it is not just anti-Russian propaganda," the prosecutor's office said in a statement on its official Telegram channel.

"The NGOs (non-governmental organisations) actively participate in an information campaign orchestrated by the 'collective West' to discredit traditional values and escalate social tensions," it added.

In a separate statement on its website, the prosecutor's office complained about the foundation's promotion of "non-traditional sexual relationships, Western family models, and gender reassignment".

Without citing examples, the statement also accused the foundation of taking part in what it called a Western campaign to "denigrate Russia" over its war in Ukraine, something the prosecutor called a "special military operation".

Putin has encouraged women to have at least three children to battle a birth rate dip, and a 2022 law widened a ban on "LGBT propaganda" to effectively ban any public expressions regarding homosexuality.

In November, Russia's lower house of parliament voted unanimously to ban what authorities cast as pernicious propaganda for a child-free way of life.

In a mission statement on its website, the Elton John AIDS Foundation said it had raised more than $600 million to support over 3,100 projects in 95 countries globally to increase access to health care, tackle LGBTQ+ stigma, and end AIDS.

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Gareth Jones)