Russia Passes Bill Targeting Some Discussions of Homosexuality

Russia’s Parliament, the Duma, also passed a blasphemy bill that criminalizes the insulting of religion and stiffens the penalty to up to three years in prison if the insults are made inside a church, a response to a performance of the punk group Pussy Riot in Moscow’s main cathedral last year. The performers were then prosecuted for hooliganism.

Taken together, the two bills — which will become law if passed by the Senate and signed by President Vladimir V. Putin, both of which are expected — are clear signs of the Kremlin’s growing closeness with the Russian Orthodox Church and its support for putting socially divisive issues on the legislative agenda.