A Moscow court rejected on Thursday a lesbian...

Irina Shepitko and Irina Fedotova-Fet attempted to get married in Russia in May 2009, but were turned away. Registry officials citied the Family Code that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

The Moscow City Court "ruled to leave the October 6, 2009, decision of the Tverskoi Court intact and reject the appeal," the presiding judge said.

A lawyer acting for the plaintiffs said the ruling was predictable. "We were not surprised by the decision and plan to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights," Nikolai Alexeyev said.

He said the court in Strasbourg will examine a similar complaint from a same-sex couple from Austria in February, a case that could set a Europe-wide precedent in dealing with such cases.

The fashion entrepreneur and the PR specialist were reported to be the third same-sex couple denied registry in Russia, after four men before them.

The couple arrived at the wedding palace in downtown Moscow dressed in matching

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