By John Riley
on
July 10, 2024 @JRileyMW
Russian authorities reportedly forced at least two men to participate in a sting designed to entrap and imprison gay men. Matvey Volodin, a Moscow resident who creates adult content under the name USSRboy, was lured by police in the autonomous Republic of Dagestan, located in the North Caucasus region, according to the independent investigative Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.Gay porno Volodin — who reportedly identifies as a heterosexual who has sex with men — came to Dagestan in late May in response to an invitation from presumed fans who contacted him online and told them they had rented him an apartment in Makhachkala, Dagestan’s largest city. The “fans” turned out to be officers from the Centre for Combating Extremism, a special unit within the Russian police force that seeks to prosecute individuals or groups accused of fostering radical ideas or values, including the LGBTQ community. The officers beat Volodin, confiscated his phone, and forced him to take part in a sting operation designed to entrap gay men. Using Volodin’s Telegram account — which has about 28,000 subscribers — police invited people to the apartment, where they allegedly filmed Volodin’s sexual encounters with more than five men. According to the independent news website Vot Tak, shortly after Volodin’s first encounter with Dagestan police, Gadzhimurad Khanov — better known as Gadzhimurad Shamilovich — a local religious activist and self-described “popularizer of moral and ethical values” boasted on social media that “a whole network” of “rainbow people” had been identified in Dagestan. After collaborating with police for a few days, Volodin was arrested for petty hooliganism. He was detained for 10 days, only to be detained for a second time on June 5, the day he was scheduled to be released, according to information from North Caucasus SOS Crisis Group, a support organization for LGBTQ people that has helped those facing persecution flee Russia and seek asylum elsewhere. According to the LGBTQ news outlet Parni Plus, Volodin has been kept in custody since June 5, and has not received his HIV antiretroviral medications since his first arrest — something that potentially threatens his life. He has been charged with creating and distributing pornography and could face up to two or six years in prison. Russian authorities continue to have access to Volodin’s social media accounts and are expected to continue using them to identify and target LGBTQ people for prosecution. According to a subsequent story from Novaya Gazeta, a couple entrapped in the sting operation received a message from Volodin’s account on the gay dating app Hornet. They arrived at the apartment and were allegedly filmed having sex with Volodin by investigators before being arrested. Police later found a video containing adult content that one of the couple had sent to his boyfriend. As a result, he now faces a charge of distributing pornography as well. A fourth man, referred to by the pseudonym “Yusuf,” became entrapped in the scheme after one of the men comprising the couple — who was a friend of Yusuf’s — called him to tell him that they had been detained by police. Yusuf advised them to contact human rights organizations. But because of that communication, Yusuf’s contact information was stored on the phone, which police then used to track down Yusuf, according to the North Caucasus SOS group. On June 5, three men, one in uniform, rang Yusuf’s doorbell and demanded to be allowed in. They arrested Yusuf and interrogated him about his connection to Volodin. Yusuf told the investigators that he had never heard of Volodin and did not know him. Faced with a lack of evidence linking the two men, a police officer began checking Yusuf’s contacts and correspondence, photographing chat messages and even checking bank transactions. Investigators then offered to set up an arrangement in which they would pay Yusuf money to serve as bait for other gay men. As part of the agreement, he would have to communicate with gay men on social networks and invite them to a special apartment to entrap them. “The [Centre for Combating Extremism] employee said that it would be more profitable and easier to work with me, since I am known in the community, they will trust me and meet with me,” Yusuf said. The officers forced Yusuf to confirm, on videotape, that he was willing to cooperate voluntarily, after which he was released. He contacted human rights activists that same day, and they helped him escape Russia and flee to an undisclosed country, as reported by The Moscow Times. “It was hard to make the decision to leave home,” Yusuf told the SOS group. “But…I could never do such a thing in my life, to be a bait for gays and especially for my friends to suffer. Yes, suicide would be better.”
By John Riley
on
September 10, 2024 @JRileyMW
Jackson Vogel, an inmate at the Green Bay Correctional Institution, allegedly killed 19-year-old Micah Laureano because he was Black and gay. Vogel, 24, is currently serving a 40-year sentence at the Wisconsin maximum security prison for repeatedly stabbing his mother with a knife, strangling her, and attempting to snap her neck when he was 16 years old. Laureano was serving a three-year sentence after pleading no contest to charges of being a party to a crime of robbery and recklessly endangering safety, as well as bail jumping. In an email to The Associated Press, Maura McMahon, Laureano’s attorney, described her client as a funny, thoughtful young man who was a talented artist.
By John Riley
on
September 3, 2024 @JRileyMW
Joey Lamar Ellis, a Houston urban park ranger, was accused of abusing his authority to target gay men at local parks by threatening to arrest them unless they paid him money or performed sexual acts on him. The 33-year-old was charged with “official oppression” in June for allegedly accusing a person inside a car parked at Cullen Park of attempting to engage in illicit behavior. Although Ellis wasn’t on duty, he was wearing his ranger uniform and driving a city vehicle, reports Houston CBS affiliate KHOU. The victim in that incident, Joshua Beede, told Houston-based ABC affiliate KTRK that he was asleep in his car when Ellis knocked on the window and threatened to arrest him if he didn’t pay him or take off his clothes. Beede claims Ellis made it known he had a gun on his person.
By John Riley
on
September 10, 2024 @JRileyMW
Francisco Ricardo Sotello Baez has been sentenced to six years in prison for beating his two-year-old son because he believed the boy might be gay. The 23-year-old Texan was charged after admitting to repeatedly hitting the toddler in the face, causing him to bleed from the nose. He pleaded “no contest,” meaning that he neither admitted nor denied the charges against him, but agreed to accept a punishment as if he had been found guilty. The attacks were allegedly motivated by the father’s desire to “toughen up” his son. He believed the two-year-old was acting effeminately because he preferred playing with Barbies and kitchen sets instead of cars and robots. These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member’s Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
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