Summary
Andrei Kotov, a Russian travel agency director accused of organizing LGBTQ+ tours, died in pre-trial detention in Moscow.
Authorities claim his death was a suicide, but rights groups highlight previous reports of beatings and abuse during his arrest.
Kotov was charged with “extremist activities” after Russia banned the LGBTQ+ movement as extremist in 2023, intensifying its crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights.
He denied organizing specific LGBTQ+ events, calling them ordinary tours.
His death has raised concerns about the treatment of detainees and the broader suppression of dissent in Russia.
i would categorize a terror state as being a state (naion, country, or empire) in which terrorism is a regular fact of life that is either tolerated or implemented by the official wielders of power. on some level, i do actually agree that every state is a terrorist state, but given that, the term loses value, so instead, i prefer to think of the term as representative of a spectrum. on one end of the spectrum you have states like the Netherlands who go along with terror implemented by their allies but do go out of their way to condemn it. unfortunately, in our current global status, this is probably as good as it gets. on the opposite end of the spectrum you have a state like the russian federation that keeps everyone, at home and abroad, under the boot heel of oppression. the key with russia it they are a one stop terror shop. there’s not much obfuscation of who’s doing the terror or why. as for where my nation sits, the united states: it’s not great! i’d say we’re pretty far over into the terrorist state spectrum