Shameful: Russia Convicts Dead Man of “LGBT Extremism”

A Russian court has convicted a man—who allegedly died by suicide while in custody—of “organising an extremist organisation” over claims that he ran a travel agency offering LGBTQ+ tours.

According to Mediazona, on 14 November, the Golovinsky District Court in Moscow posthumously found Andrei Kotov, the director of Men Travel, guilty of organising and participating in “extremist” activities, despite his death almost a year earlier.

Authorities arrested the 48-year-old businessman on 30 November 2024 at his Moscow flat. He later told journalists in court that officers beat him and tortured him with a stun gun in an attempt to force a confession.

Officials claimed that he “supported the views and activities of the extremist organisation”, organised trips and public events, and posted images online that undermined “traditional family values”.

Kotov insisted that his work simply involved organising “ordinary” tourist trips. Reports indicate that he was denied warm clothing, food, and essential medication while detained.

“Despite the fact that I am a psychotherapist by training, I still find it difficult to answer to what degree of PTSD I suffered and why all these procedures were required,” he said during a court appearance.

Case Continued Despite His Death

On 29 December 2024, investigators informed Kotov’s lawyer that her client had died by suicide in detention. Despite this, authorities continued the case, ultimately issuing a guilty verdict.

Kotov’s conviction follows the Russian Supreme Court’s November 2023 decision to classify the “international LGBT movement” as an “extremist organisation”.

That ruling, made in a closed-door hearing attended only by representatives of the Justice Ministry, came into effect in January 2024. It added the global LGBT movement to a growing list of more than 100 banned groups accused of “inciting social and religious discord”.

Dozens of Human Rights Abuses

Under the ruling, anyone deemed to be participating in an extremist organisation could face up to 12 years in prison. Displaying symbols associated with such groups carries penalties ranging from up to 15 days in detention for a first offence to as many as four years in prison for a second offence.

In July, Human Rights Watch documented 101 convictions connected to alleged participation in, or display of symbols linked to, the “International LGBT Movement”.

The organisation warned that Russia’s vague and overly broad anti-extremism laws are increasingly being used as tools of censorship, driving LGBTQ+ people and their supporters to self-censor or go into hiding.

These measures build on Russia’s long-standing anti-LGBTQ+ policies, including the 2013 federal law criminalising the “promotion” of “non-traditional” sexual relationships in the media and any public context.