A Russian man who was arrested for allegedly running a travel agency for gay customers was found dead in custody in Moscow, rights group OVD-Info said on Sunday, among his cracking down on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia.
According to OVD-Info, which monitors political arrests, Andrei Kotov – the director of the group “Men Travel” – faced charges of “organizing counter-activities and participating there.”
OVD-Info reported that an investigator told Kotov's lawyer that her client had died of suicide early Sunday while in pretrial detention and that he was found dead in chill
Trusted news and daily excitement, right in your inbox
See for yourself – The Yodel is the source for daily news, entertainment and feel good stories.
Before Kotov's death, independent media Mediazona reported earlier this month that Kotov had denied the charges and claimed in court that law enforcement officers had beaten him and given him electric shocks. passed when he was arrested, even though he did not resist.
Just over a year ago, the Supreme Court of Russia effectively ban any LGBTQ+ activity in a decision that declared “the international LGBT movement” as terrorism. This movement subjected anyone in the community or associated with it to criminal prosecution and imprisonment, using a sense of fear and intimidation.
The LGBTQ+ community in Russia has been under legal and public pressure for over a decade but especially since the Kremlin sent troops to Ukraine in 2022. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has argued that the war is a proxy battle with the West, which he says aims to destroy Russia and its “traditional family values” by pushing for LGBTQ+ rights.
