Police arrest second suspect in murder of St. Petersburg LGBTQ rights activist

Investigators in St. Petersburg have arrested a second suspect in the murder of LGBTQ rights activist Yelena Grigoryeva. Police previously apprehended a Kyrgyz national named Davron Mukhamedov, who reportedly confessed to robbing Grigoryeva, but identified another person who “actually killed” her.

Human rights activist Dinara Idrisova told MBKh Media that investigators still haven’t ruled out a political motive in Grigoryeva’s murder.

Yelena Grigoryeva’s body was discovered on July 21. She was an active participant in St. Petersburg’s pro-democracy, anti-war, and LGBTQ rights movements. Following her death, the LGBTQ rights organization “Vykhod” (Exit) formally asked the police to investigate the homophobic “Saw Against LGBT” movement for involvement in the murder.

Officials previously said they suspect Davron Mukhamedov killed Grigoryeva in a common altercation without political motive. The authorities say she was acquainted with Mukhamedov, and also stated that Grigoryeva “led an asocial lifestyle, consuming alcoholic beverages on repeated occasions, including in the company of the suspect.”