ST. PETERSBURG -- A prominent Russian gay rights activist and journalist has asked for political asylum in Germany.
Artur Akhmetgaliyev is a reporter with the television channel 100TV in St. Petersburg.
He made waves with a series of programs about violations of gay rights in Russia, some of them after St. Petersburg city authorities adopted legislation criminalizing the distribution of gay "propaganda" among minors in 2012 -- the model for a national law signed by President Vladimir Putin last year.
One of the shows announced mock awards for officials it accused of supporting homophobia, including Putin.
Akhmetgaliyev has said that he has received numerous threats by phone and during public gatherings of the lesbian, gay, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT) community.
Akhmetgaliyev and his partner, whose name was not revealed, have applied for asylum in Germany and are staying at a refugee camp there.
