North Ossetia court orders man to “conversion therapy”

According to information published by OC Media and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Ardon District Court of North Ossetia has found a local resident guilty of “preparation and distribution of pornographic materials” and has ordered him to compulsory psychiatric supervision and treatment — in effect, “conversion therapy.”

According to the court’s decision, the man, identified only by the initials T.K., sent intimate photos to several users via Telegram. The case materials state that some of the photos were downloaded from the Internet, while others were taken personally with a phone camera. The photos included images of male genitalia.

The investigating authorities claimed that these actions were aimed at “distribution of pornographic materials” and “arousing interest in non-traditional sexual relations” among recipients. After the correspondence was discovered, police officers, accompanied by two “public representatives,” came to the man’s home and confiscated his phone. The device was later checked at the police station and the images were added to the criminal case.

As part of the investigation, T.K. was sent for an outpatient psychological and psychiatric examination. The expert commission claimed that he had a “homosexual type of sexual orientation” and in its opinion characterized his behavior as “‘poorly controlled focus on repetitive sexual desires and behaviour.” At the same time, it was noted that these features do not exclude criminal liability, but “limit the ability to fully understand the social danger” of the person’s actions. The court accepted this opinion as sufficient grounds for compulsory outpatient psychiatric supervision and treatment.

The decision also noted that the accused had previously had “problems” with law enforcement agencies regarding his sexual behavior, but the details of these cases were not disclosed.

At the court hearing, T.K. fully admitted the charges, expressed remorse, and exercised his right to refuse to provide additional explanations. These circumstances were taken into account as mitigating factors.

As a result, the court sentenced him to three years of conditional imprisonment and two years of probation. He was ordered not to change his place of residence without warning and to regularly register. The confiscated phone was returned to its owner, but the electronic media on which the images were stored were reported to remain in the case files.

This incident occurred at a time when legislation and law enforcement practices regarding sexual orientation in Russia were becoming increasingly strict. In November 2024, the non-existent “international LGBT movement” was banned in Russia, and in March 2025, it was added to the list of “extremist and terrorist organizations.” Officials claimed that this fictitious “movement” allegedly “spreads social and religious discord.”

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