Russia Finds Deceased LGBTQ Travel Agent Guilty of Extremism
A Moscow court has found 48-year-old LGBTQ travel agent Andrei Kotov guilty of extremism—one year after he died by suicide in jail. Kotov, head of Men Travel, was detained in November 2024, alleging he was beaten by police and later charged with extremism and using underage people for pornography. Rights groups say the case was a “show trial” designed to intimidate and silence the LGBTQ community. Russia’s crackdown on LGBTQ individuals has intensified since the Ukraine war, with President Vladimir Putin promoting “traditional family values” and labelling anything contrary as foreign-influenced. The Supreme Court banned the “international LGBT movement” as extremist in 2023, paving the way for arbitrary prosecution of LGBTQ people and their allies. The posthumous conviction comes despite Kotov’s death in pre-trial detention, raising concerns of judicial excess and deepening Russia’s human rights crisis. Activists warn the atmosphere […]