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Andrei Kotov, Men Travel Director, Found Dead in Custody; Suicide Reported Amid LGBTQ+ Crackdown

Dec 29, 2024, 04:32 PM

Andrei Kotov, the 40-year-old director of the Men Travel agency, which organized trips for gay tourists, was found dead in a Moscow pre-trial detention center. Kotov had been arrested last month on charges of participating in and organizing 'extremist' activities, following Russia's Supreme Court ruling that designated the 'international LGBT movement' as an extremist organization in late 2023. According to the human rights group OVD-Info, Kotov's lawyer was informed by investigators that he had committed suicide early Sunday. Kotov had previously reported being beaten during his arrest. Russian state media, including RIA Novosti, also reported Kotov's death as a suicide. The incident occurs amid an ongoing crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia, intensified since the country's military actions in Ukraine began in 2022.