A Russian gay rights activist who went missing from a Moscow airport last week, said he was kidnapped by state security agents. Nikolai Alekseyev was told he would have to undergo further security checks as he prepared for his flight to Geneva on 15 September. He was then driven to a police station in Kashira where he was detained for two days. The men holding him demanded that he withdraw a complaint from the European Court of Human Rights against Moscow’s ban on gay rights rallies. He refused to sign any documents. News agencies received text messages that appeared to be from the activist saying he was seeking political asylum in Belarus. Alekseyev later confirmed these were sent by his captors. He was released on 18 September.