Selena Gomez Denied Russian Visa, 'Stars Dance' Singer Cancels Tour Dates in Russia [VIDEO]
After being denied a visa by Russian authorities, Selena Gomez had to cancel her tour dates -- from Sept. 23 to Sept. 25 -- in the country.
Before kick-starting the Russian leg of her tour, she was scheduled to perform in Minsk, Belarus on Sept. 20 and in Kiev, Ukraine on Sept. 21. She would then move on to Russia to perform in St. Petersburg on Sept. 23 and in Moscow on Sept. 25. All the dates, including the performances in Belarus and Ukraine, have been dropped from her tour schedule now.
Her next concert will be in Dubai on Sept. 27, after which she will return to the US to finish the final leg of her tour.
Gomez's organizers suggested that at present it had become very difficult to obtain work visas for foreign artists visiting Russia for short-term work. They also believe that Gomez, who supports gay rights, might have been denied the visa because of a controversial new law in Russia that bars "propaganda on nontraditional sexual relationships" to minors.
In August last year, Lady Gaga and Madonna violated Russian visa laws, by performing on a visa that did not allow for commercial work. The Russian authorities were thinking about prosecuting the stars, in August.
More recently, the Bloodhound Gang was banned from a Russian festival, after the band gave a controversial performance in Ukraine in August. Bassist, Jared Hasselhoff, crumpled up a Russian flag and put it down in the front of his pants and then pulling it out of his rear, on stage. "Don't tell Putin," he warned the audience.
As Gomez is an active supporter of LGBT rights, when gay rights activist John Becker heard about her plan to tour Russia, he launched a Change.org petition urging the singer to "stand up for Russia's LGBT community" while in the country.
Gomez' most recent movie, Getaway, in which she co-stars with Ethan Hawke released on Aug. 30.
Watch a trailer of the film:
