The article highlights the tragic case of Andrei Kotov, a travel agency owner, who was brutally beaten by police enforcing anti-gay laws in Russia. Kotov was accused of operating a travel agency catering to gay clients, a claim he denied. Following his mistreatment, he died under questionable circumstances in prison, purportedly by self-inflicted wounds. His death points to a wider trend of increasing violence and repression against the LGBTQ community in Russia since the onset of the Ukraine war, framed by the government as a defense of traditional Russian values.
Fifteen people came to my place at night. They were beating me in the face, kicking me and leaving bruises. They told me: No trips for gays.
His death reflects an increasingly harsh crackdown in Russia on the rights of L.G.B.T.Q. people that has accelerated since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Mr. Kotov was pressured by officers to confess that he was running a travel agency aimed at gay people, which he vehemently denied.
Russian officials did not respond to a request for comment regarding the circumstances surrounding Mr. Kotov's death in prison.
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