A Russian man detained for organizing trips for LGBT+ people was found dead in pre-trial detention, a rights group and Russian state media reported on Sunday.
Andrei Kotov, director of the travel agency Men Travel, was indicted last month for “extremist activities”, while the Russian Supreme Court banned what it describes as the “international LGBT movement” at the end of 2023, paving the way the possibility of legal proceedings against those who are accused of adhering to it.
According to the human rights NGO OVD-Info, which quotes Mr. Kotov’s lawyer, investigators claimed that the latter committed suicide at dawn on Sunday, while in pre-trial detention.
According to this organization, Mr. Kotov, aged 40, said he was beaten during his arrest last month.
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti also reported that Mr. Kotov had committed suicide in prison.
Russia has increased repressive laws against LGBT people in recent years, seeing in this ultraconservative line a continuation of their fight against the West, whose values and way of life are described as “decadent” by President Vladimir Putin.
