Russian authorities declared the activities of the Elton John AIDS Foundation “undesirable” on Thursday, forcing the closure of the organization, founded in the 1990s by British musician Elton John, in the Eurasian country.
The Russian Prosecutor’s Office stated in a statement that the foundation’s “objective” is “to support public associations for the prevention and fight against AIDS among the most vulnerable groups (…) and to overcome discrimination and neglect of people with HIV and people with non-traditional ideas.”
However, it stressed that “more generally, it focuses on promoting non-traditional sexual relationships, Western family models, and gender reassignment,” one of the reasons why the authorities decided to close it.
Thus, he stated that the foundation “views negatively the policies of countries that protect traditional spiritual and moral values” and added that, furthermore, the organization “has participated in a Western information campaign to denigrate Russia” since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.
“In our country, the British foundation cooperates closely with non-governmental organizations that act as foreign agents,” the Prosecutor’s Office concluded regarding the organization, founded in 1992 and “a leader in the global response to HIV,” according to its website.
In this regard, the Elton John AIDS Foundation emphasizes that since 1992 it has raised “more than $600 million (approximately €547 million) to support more than 3,100 projects in 95 countries, with the goal of expanding access to medical care, combating LGBTQ+ stigma, and eradicating AIDS.”
