A Russian man arrested for allegedly operating a journey company for homosexual clients was discovered lifeless in custody in Moscow, rights group OVD-Info reported Sunday, amid a crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia.
According to OVD-Info, which tracks political arrests, Andrei Kotov — director of the “Men Travel” company — confronted prices of “organizing extremist exercise and taking part in it.”
OVD-Info mentioned an investigator advised Kotov’s lawyer that her shopper had died by suicide early Sunday whereas in pretrial detention and was discovered lifeless in his cell.
Prior to Kotov’s loss of life, unbiased media outlet Mediazona reported earlier this month that Kotov had rejected the costs and mentioned in court docket that legislation enforcement officers beat him and administered electrical shocks in the course of the arrest, regardless that he did not resist.
Just over a yr in the past, Russia’s Supreme Court successfully outlawed any LGBTQ+ activism in a ruling that designated “the worldwide LGBT motion” as extremist. According to Human Rights Watch, the court docket accused the “LGBT motion” of inciting social and spiritual discord. The transfer uncovered anybody locally or linked to it to felony prosecution and jail, ushering in an environment of concern and intimidation.
The LGBTQ+ neighborhood in Russia has been underneath authorized and public strain for over a decade however particularly because the Kremlin despatched troops to Ukraine in 2022. Russian chief Vladimir Putin has argued that the battle is a proxy battle with the West, which he says goals to destroy Russia and its “conventional household values” by pushing for LGBTQ+ rights.
Last month, Putin signed into law a invoice banning adoption of Russian kids by residents of nations the place gender transitioning is authorized.
In 2022, legislation was passed by the decrease home of Russia’s legislature that bans so-called “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” for each adults and minors.
