A Russian man arrested for allegedly running a travel agency for gay customers was found dead in custody in Moscow, rights group OVD-Info reported Sunday, amid a crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia.
READ MORE: Police raid gay venues in Moscow after Supreme Court labels LGBTQ+ movement 'extremist'
According to OVD-Info, which tracks political arrests, Andrei Kotov — director of the "Men Travel" agency — faced charges of "organizing extremist activity and participating in it."
OVD-Info said an investigator told Kotov's lawyer that her client had died by suicide early Sunday while in pretrial detention and was found dead in his cell.
Prior to Kotov's death, independent media outlet Mediazona reported earlier this month that Kotov had rejected the charges and said in court that law enforcement officers beat him and administered electric shocks during the arrest, even though he didn't resist.
Just over a year ago, Russia's Supreme Court effectively outlawed any LGBTQ+ activism in a ruling that designated "the international LGBT movement" as extremist. The move exposed anyone in the community or connected to it to criminal prosecution and prison, ushering in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
The LGBTQ+ community in Russia has been under legal and public pressure for over a decade but especially since the Kremlin sent troops to Ukraine in 2022. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has argued that the war is a proxy battle with the West, which he says aims to destroy Russia and its "traditional family values" by pushing for LGBTQ+ rights.