Sir Ian McKellen joined hundreds of protesters outside the Russian embassy in London to voice anger against a "purge" of gay men in Chechnya.
The actor described it as "a matter of principle" to demonstrate outside the Kensington Gardens consulate on Friday to demand that Moscow takes decisive action against those responsible for the brutal persecution.
Reports emerged in April of gay people being abducted, tortured and even killed in a homophobic "purge" in the southern Russian federal republic.