Police in Bucharest have announced that they are treating as suspicious the death of a prominent British writer and LGBT activist.
The body of David St Vincent, 48, was found by his landlady at his Bucharest apartment last month.
Friends say St Vincent suffered from a series of health issues – including blood pressure problems,epilepsy, and labyrinthitis – leading authorities to initially rule his death by natural causes. However, police have now passed the case on to the prosecutor’s office.
St Vincent first went to Romania to write a travel guide and in 1994 he became a founder member of the Bucharest Acceptance Group, later renamed Accept, which played a crucial role in the decriminalisation of gay sex in Romania in 2001.
The group initially had to hold its meetings in secret because of threats of violence.
Florin Radu of Accept, and a friend of Mr St Vincent’s for 10 years, said they would hold a memorial next week. He told The Independent: “We are very sad, but very grateful to David for what he did for gay rights.
“He was a very funny, very kind man who loved Romania.”
Romania currently does not recognise marriage between same-sex couples.
