Based on a state media report, the monument, which was located in St. Petersburg, was demolished in accordance with a law that prohibited "gay propaganda."
The statue, which is in the shape of an iPhone, had an interactive screen that showed facts about the late Apple co-founder. In an interview with local radio station Biznes-FM, Maxim Dolgopolov, the chief of Western European Financial Union (ZEFS), said that his company dismantled the monument to comply with a law that prohibited "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations." ZEFS erected the monument on the grounds of an IT university in January 2013, just over a year after Jobs' death.
In June of last year, the Russian parliament voted 436-0 to formalize a federal law that banned gay propaganda. The statute outlawed viewing straight and gay relationships as equal and made it illegal to distribute material pertaining to gay rights. Anyone in violation of the law faces fines of up to 100,000 roubles ($2,316). In the case of organizations, the fine will shoot up to one million roubles. Authorities will also shut down operations for a period of 90 days.
Since the law evoked international outrage, Russian lawmakers also introduced harsh punishments for foreign gay rights activists. Aside from being fined 100,000 roubles, foreigners can also be detained for 15 days and then deported.
Aside from his disapproval of Cook's sexual orientation, Dolgopolov also backtracked on his company's admiration for Apple, which prompted them to build the monument in the first place. Dolgopolov accused Apple of colluding with American intelligence agencies, saying that the company's technology can be used to monitor people's private data around the world. He also said that in the event the monument is put back together, it would be altered to allow users to send anti-spying messages to Apple and the National Surveillance Agency.
Dolgopolov's statements echo that of St. Petersburg legislator Vitaly Milonov, who said that Cook should be banned from entering Russia because he can bring Ebola, AIDS and gonorrhea into the country.
While Dolgopolov's statements have been reported in numerous media outlets, there is a chance that some parts of the story are incorrect. According to Russian website Tass, the iPhone monument was only being taken down for repairs.
