[JURIST] The Russian Supreme Court [official website, in Russian] Tuesday rejected a petition for the legalization of same-sex marriage. In its opinion, the court held that it could not alter the Russian Family Code to allow for same-sex marriages. The plaintiffs in the case filed for a marriage certificate in January in Moscow, but were rejected because same-sex marriages are prohibited by law. However, in a twist on the case, one of the plaintiffs, Eduard Murzin, is an MP from the Bashkiria republic in Russia. Murzin is heterosexual, but said he agreed to file for the marriage to promote gay rights in Russia with Eduard Mishin, the editor of a gay-rights website. Murzin said he planned to appeal the case to the European Court of Human Rights [official website] in Strasbourg. Mosnews.com has more.