Officials in the northwestern Russian city of Arkhangelsk have banned a previously approved gay-rights rally.

The city's mayor's office told activists on February 24 that the previous decision to allow the rally on February 25 was reversed because officials did not know if the activists had agreed on the location of the rally.

Arkhangelsk authorities originally agreed to the gay-rights activists' request for the rally, but rejected their call for holding it at city hall, instead offering a place in a remote part of the city.

A group of some 20 activists had planned to raise issues related to the controversial federal law that bans the dissemination of materials promoting homosexuality among minors.

The rally's rejection is the second in recent days.

On February 20, Arkhangelsk officials banned a gay pride parade in the city on February 22 and banned four other public pro-gay events.

Based on reporting by gayrussia.ru and Novaya Gazeta