A Russian man detained for organising travel tours for LGBTQ people has died in pre-trial detention, rights groups and Russian state media reported on Sunday.
Andrei Kotov, the director of travel agency Men Travel, was charged last month with taking part and organising “extremist” activities, in the Kremlin’s broad crackdown on anyone deemed not to have a lifestyle that aligns with its “traditional values”.
The OVD-Info rights group cited Kotov’s lawyer as saying investigators told her that the man had died by suicide at dawn on Sunday.
OVD-Info said that 40-year-old Kotov had reported he was beaten during his arrest last month.
Russia’s RIA Novosti state news agency also said Kotov had died by suicide.
Late last month, state media published a video of Kotov being questioned on the floor by security officers.
