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 Linked to LGBT Rights Crackdown

Kotov was detained in late November and accused of participating in and organizing activities for an “extremist community.” This charge stems from a 2023 ruling by the Russian Supreme Court, which banned the so-called “international LGBT movement.”

Police Violence During His Arrest

Videos from the November raid at his home show Kotov struggling to breathe while law enforcement officers interrogate him aggressively. “About 15 people arrived in the middle of the night. I was beaten, punched in the face, and hit on the legs,” he testified during a court hearing on December 2, according to Mediazona.

Death in Custody Ruled as Suicide

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 that the case was not dismissed after his death, as no request was made by his relatives.

Controversial Charges

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.”

A Man Who Did Not See Himself as an Activist

In January, his lawyer stated that the charges against him had come as a shock. “He never really understood what he was being accused of,” she said. A friend of Kotov, Svetlana, explained that he considered himself apolitical and never thought he would be affected by Russia’s increasingly repressive anti-LGBT laws. “We have always been oppressed and persecuted, we will survive, it’s not a big deal,” she stated.