Russia: Travel Agent Arrested for Organizing Cruises for LGBTQ Community Members · Global Voices

The detention of Andrei Kotov, owner of the travel company Men Travel, decided by Moscow’s Golovinski district court. Kotov is accused of organizing cruises for members of her community. According to the interrogation, Kotov faces the charge of “organising extremist organization activities”, for organizing cruises for gay men, thus participating in the activities of the “LGBTKI Movement”, which in Russia is considered an extremist organisation. Kotov himself claims that his company offered regular tourist services. The inquisitor in Kotov’s case claimed that the arrester “has committed a crime against constitutional order and state security”, according to Mediazona, a journalist of which they were in the courtroom. Kotov said that during the investigation at his home two policemen hit him – one in the face and the other with a taser gun. He tried to explain to them that he was organizing tourist trips, but they answered: “No, wrong, about homosexuals” – and they kept hitting him. “About 15 people came to my house at night, beaten me, hit me in the face, feet, bruised me. I was not resisting, I was extremely surprised by this process. (…) I had to say what they wanted,” Kotov said. Kotov’s lawyer, Leissan Manapova, asked the court to be placed under house arrest, pointing out that in order to press charges, it was necessary that in the travel agency’s events “non-traditional sexual relations became propaganda, so that people could join the movement.” There’s no such information in the case documents.