Andrei Kotov, director of “Men Travel,” was facing charges of organizing and participating in extremist activities, as reported by OVD-Info, which monitors political arrests. The organization stated that an investigator informed Kotov’s lawyer that he had died by suicide in his cell early Sunday morning while in pretrial detention.
Prior to his death, Kotov had reportedly denied the charges, according to Mediazona, an independent media outlet. He also alleged that law enforcement officers had subjected him to beatings and electric shocks during his arrest, despite his claim of non-resistance. These allegations highlight a concerning pattern of police conduct in Russia.
The legal backdrop for this event is a recent ruling by Russia’s Supreme Court, which effectively outlawed LGBTQ+ activism by designating the "international LGBT movement" as extremist. This decision, made just over a year ago, exposes anyone associated with the LGBTQ+ community to potential criminal prosecution and imprisonment.
The LGBTQ+ community in Russia has experienced escalating pressure, both legally and socially, particularly since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022. The Russian government, under President Vladimir Putin, has framed the conflict as a proxy war with the West, with the West supposedly promoting LGBTQ+ rights to undermine Russia's "traditional family values."
