Watchdog

International rights group Amnesty International has urged Russian authorities to abolish their "absurd" legislation used to punish an activist who shared LGBT-related articles on Facebook.

In a statement on October 18, Amnesty assailed Russia's "homophobic legislation" after a woman activist was fined for posting links to articles related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues on social media.

Amnesty said Yevdokia Romanova had earlier in the day been found guilty and fined $870 in a Samara court for spreading "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships among minors using the Internet."

She was accused of sharing links on Facebook in 2015 and 2016, including a Guardian newspaper article on a same-sex marriage referendum in Ireland and a Buzzfeed article about an LGBT exhibition in St. Petersburg.

"The absurd accusations against Yevdokia Romanova are a sad illustration of the desperate circumstances currently faced by activists working on LGBTI issues in Russia," said Denis Krivosheyev, Amnesty's deputy director for Europe and Central Asia.

"Even the simple freedom to share an online story with friends is now limited by legislation that is blatantly discriminatory and homophobic," Krivosheyev added.

Romanova is a member of a local LGBT chapter and an active member of the Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, Amnesty said.

The rights group said the law -- also known as the "homosexual propaganda" law -- was passed in Russia in June 2013.

The French Senate on October 18 approved a controversial counterterrorism law that the government says is needed to combat terrorism once a state of emergency expires at the end of the month.

The Senate voted 244-22 to approve the bill, which enjoyed broad support, although lawmakers made amendments in response to criticism that the original version would have infringed on individual liberties.

The lower house National Assembly overwhelmingly approved it last week.

The law, which turns modified emergency powers into ordinary law, still has to be signed by President Emmanuel Macron.

In a major speech on security on October 18, Macron said the compromise text reached by lawmakers would allow the authorities to combat terrorism "without abandoning our values and principles."

The legislation gives law enforcement greater authority to conduct searches, to close religious facilities, and to restrict the movements of people suspected of extremist ties.

Human Rights Watch criticized what it called a "normalization of emergency powers" and UN experts raised objections in a letter to the French government last month.

The state of emergency was imposed in November 2015 after the Paris terror attacks claimed by the Islamic State group that killed 130 people. It was renewed six times.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa