<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trial to Proceed for Russian LGBT Travel Agent Who Died in Custody<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The case of Andrey Kotov, a Russian travel agent arrested for organizing trips for homosexual individuals and found dead in custody in December, will still go to trial, BBC News Russian<\/strong> reported on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kotov was detained in late November and accused of participating in and organizing activities for an \u201cextremist community.\u201d This charge stems from a 2023 ruling by the Russian Supreme Court, which banned the so-called “international LGBT movement.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Videos from the November raid at his home show Kotov struggling to breathe while law enforcement officers interrogate him aggressively. \u201cAbout 15 people arrived in the middle of the night. I was beaten, punched in the face, and hit on the legs,\u201d he testified during a court hearing on December 2, according to Mediazona<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One month after his arrest, Kotov was found dead in his cell. Investigators ruled it a suicide, although his lawyer, Leysan Mannapova, pointed out the violence he had suffered. She told BBC News Russian<\/strong> that the case was not dismissed after his death, as no request was made by his relatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the abuse he endured from the police, Kotov denied the accusations against him. However, investigators claimed that evidence from his phone proved his involvement in organizing boat tours on the Volga River and a trip to Egypt for homosexual Russians. According to them, these activities posed a threat to “constitutional order and state security.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n In January, his lawyer stated that the charges against him had come as a shock. \u201cHe never really understood what he was being accused of,\u201d she said. A friend of Kotov, Svetlana, explained that he considered himself apolitical and never thought he would be affected by Russia\u2019s increasingly repressive anti-LGBT laws. \u201cWe have always been oppressed and persecuted, we will survive, it\u2019s not a big deal,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trial to Proceed for Russian LGBT Travel Agent Who Died in Custody A Posthumous Trial Despite His Death in Prison The case of Andrey Kotov, a Russian travel agent arrested for organizing trips for homosexual individuals and found dead in custody in December, will still go to trial, BBC News Russian reported on Friday. Arrest…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[87,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-justice-lgbt-news","category-world-news-lgbtq"],"yoast_head":"\nA Posthumous Trial Despite His Death in Prison<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Arrest Linked to LGBT Rights Crackdown<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Police Violence During His Arrest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Death in Custody Ruled as Suicide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Controversial Charges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A Man Who Did Not See Himself as an Activist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Related Articles<\/h2>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"