Andrey Kotov in court. Photo: SOTA
Russia’s financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring has added the director of a Russian travel agency that caters to queer clients to its register of terrorists and extremists, it emerged on Tuesday.
Andrey Kotov, who was remanded in custody on 2 December for participating in and organising the activities of an “extremist community”, has been accused of organising gay tours via his travel agency Men Travel. He has denied the charges against him.
News of Kotov’s detention was first reported in late November, with footage taken during a police raid on his home in the middle of the night showing the travel agent breathless while being questioned aggressively by uniformed law enforcement officers.
The investigator said an examination of Kotov’s telephone confirmed his involvement in the “crime”, which, he added, was “directed against the constitutional order and security of the state”.
In November 2023, Russia’s Supreme Court ruled the “international LGBT movement” to be an “extremist organisation”, effectively making any expression of queer identity in Russia a criminal offence.
Kotov was transferred to solitary confinement while in pretrial detention, for unknown reasons, BBC News Russian said on Thursday, though on Friday pro-Kremlin Telegram channel SHOT reported that a second criminal case had been opened against Kotov.
The second case, for engaging a minor in the production of pornographic materials, had been opened according to SHOT after it was alleged that Kotov had filmed a minor in a gym dressing room.
SHOT said the footage had been found during an inspection of what it called “the pervert’s belongings”. If found guilty, Kotov could face a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
