(CNN) An LGBTQ rights activist who was murdered in St. Petersburg had received death threats and was named on a website urging vigilante violence, campaigners have said.

Yelena Grigoryeva was confirmed dead by friends and fellow activists, who paid tribute to her on Tuesday.

Russia's Investigative Committee, a state body that handles major crimes, reported that a woman born in 1979 was found dead in with multiple knife wounds on Sunday evening.

Grigoryeva was a prominent campaigner on many issues, including LGBTQ rights and freedom for political prisoners.

Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but homophobia and discrimination are still common

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