A Moscow court on Friday found LGBTQ travel agent Andrei Kotov, who died by suicide in custody a year ago, guilty of extremism, highlighting Russia’s intensifying assault on queer communities. Kotov, 48, ran Men Travel and had told the court in 2024, “Fifteen people came to me at night, beat me, were punching me in the face.” Rights groups say authorities pursued a show trial to intimidate queer people. The ruling follows Russia’s 2023 ban on the international social LGBT movement, which Human Rights Watch said has ignited several arbitrary prosecutions.
