A court in Russia's northeastern Kamchatka Peninsula has sentenced three men to prison for killing a man they believed was gay.
The defendants were sentenced to 12 1/2, 10 1/2, and nine years in jail on February 3.
The three were found guilty of kicking and stabbing the 29-year-old victim -- the deputy director of Ozyornaya airport -- and then setting him on fire inside his car in May 2013. He was not named.
Analysts say it was highly unusual for prosecutors to state publicly that the motive was homophobia.
However, the men were prosecuted for murder, not for a hate crime, a classification that is rarely used.
Russia passed a law last year that bans the promotion of gay "propaganda" to minors.
Activists say the measure has helped inflame antigay sentiment in the country.
The defendants were sentenced to 12 1/2, 10 1/2, and nine years in jail on February 3.
The three were found guilty of kicking and stabbing the 29-year-old victim -- the deputy director of Ozyornaya airport -- and then setting him on fire inside his car in May 2013. He was not named.
Analysts say it was highly unusual for prosecutors to state publicly that the motive was homophobia.
However, the men were prosecuted for murder, not for a hate crime, a classification that is rarely used.
Russia passed a law last year that bans the promotion of gay "propaganda" to minors.
Activists say the measure has helped inflame antigay sentiment in the country.
