Lady Gaga and Madonna held concerts in Moscow months ago, but a Russian politician is just now asking that their trips be investigated over a possible breach of visa laws. The politician making the claim has gone after the pop stars before, accusing them of promoting homosexuality.
Government officials said in a statement that the performers obtained cultural-exchange visas to enter Russia, which “do not grant their bearers the right to engage in any commercial activity,” according to the Guardian notes. Prosecutors are now asking the foreign ministry or the federal migration service to charge Gaga and Madonna with breaking the law.
Gaga was in Moscow in December and Madonna last performed there in August 2012, so why is this coming up now? NME reports that the accusations come from Vitaly Milonov, a politician who accuses them of “promoting homosexuality.” Milonov is a major sponsor of legislation that has made promoting homosexuality a crime in St. Petersburg.
Madonna was criticized by Russian politicians after her performance because she showed support for punk band Pussy Riot, which had been jailed for criticizing President Vladimir Putin.
According to MTV News, Milonov also went after Madonna at the time for making “direct calls to 12-year-old citizens to support the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.”
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