World News

Reported Death of LGBT Youth at Hands Of Russian Ultra-Nationalists May Not be Accurate

By Brody Levesque | KAMENSK-URAL, Russia -- The reports of the recent death of a male gay youth at the hands of Russian Ultra-nationalists, targeting LGBTQ youth on the popular Russian social media site VK.com, may not be accurate and remain unverified.

A picture posted by Spectrum Human Rights Alliance last week showed the alleged victim kneeling in his underwear with red coloured smears on his chest, face, and genital region appearing to hold a dildo as his captors grin for the camera.

Over the past weekend, Russian human rights activist Dr. Valentin Degterev told Spectrum Human Rights Alliance that one of the ultra nationalists in the photo, Mikhail Krasnov, had posted on his VK page that the young male depicted in the widely circulated picture had been killed.

LGBTQ Nation has learned from official Russian government sources and police officials Tuesday that there are no records of a death or victim matching the description of the young male depicted in the photographs as claimed by Krasnov.

A source for the local Russian equivalent of the medical examiner in Kamensk-Uralsky city (Sverdlovsk district) told LGBTQ Nation that there were no bodies matching that description in the facility nor reported deaths matching the young man.

According to a spokesperson for Spectrum Human Rights Alliance, Degterev claimed that the youth was an Uzbekistani citizen identified as 23 year old Imya Sador. Degterev told Spectrum that he learned of the youth's identity and death last month but said it was confirmed in a phone call from Krasnov who also threatened Degterev last Thursday, August 1st. 

Krasnov is essentially second in command of the most active group, “Occupy Pedophilia,” which is headed by Maxim Martsinkevich, known (in Russian) as “Tesak” — which translates as “The Cleaver.” The group is principally based in Kamensk-Uralsky, located in the Ural mountains about 1,900 miles east of Moscow.

Martsinkevich, the former leader of a Russian neo-fascist organization “Format 18,” was released from prison in December 2010, where he was serving a three-year sentence for inciting ethnic hatred. For two years, he has traveled around the Russian federation promoting his group’s involvement in the capture of “paedophiles”, using the VK adverts as “live bait.”

He has also been a strong proponent of recent changes in Russian laws that have criminalized discussion of LGBTQ issues and gatherings such as Pride events.

LGBTQ Nation has reached out to the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan to verify the youth's identity and citizenship status.

Russian officials told LGBTQ Nation that any violation of Russian law would be immediately dealt with and that officials were investigating the allegations regarding the Uzbek citizen.