ST.-PETERSBURG, May 4 - RAPSI. A St. Petersburg court imposed on Friday a $170 fine on Nikolai Alexeyev, the founder of a sexual and gender minorities' rights organization, who was detained by the city governor's office on April 12. Alexeyev was charged with breaching the law banning the propaganda of homosexual relations among minors.

This was the first punishment for the violation of the newly adopted law.

The law enacted in St. Petersburg on March 30 sets fines for gay propaganda. Any violation of the law constitutes an administrative offense.

Under the new legislation, public actions intended to promote homosexual and bisexual relations and transgender issues among underage individuals are punishable by fines of 5,000 rubles ($170) for individuals, 50,000 rubles ($1,700) for officials, and from 250,000 to 500,000 rubles ($8,500 to 17,000) for legal entities.