PACE bureau keeps Chechen figure who justified 'honour killings' on Russian opposition platform

The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has decided to retain Chechen public figure Ruslan Kutaev in PACE's Russian opposition platform, despite his history of anti-LGBTQ statements and justification of 'honour killings' in the Caucasus region.

The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has decided to keep Chechen public figure Ruslan Kutaev as a member of the Russian opposition platform operating under the assembly's auspices, despite significant controversy surrounding his public statements.

Kutaev has previously made remarks offensive to LGBTQ people and has publicly justified so-called "honour killings" — the practice of murdering individuals, typically women, for perceived violations of family or community honour — in the Caucasus region. The decision to retain him on the platform has drawn criticism from human rights advocates who argue that such views are incompatible with the Council of Europe's core values of human dignity and non-discrimination.

The Russian opposition platform at PACE was established as a space for Russian civil society and opposition figures excluded from official representation following Russia's suspension from the Council of Europe. The body is intended to maintain a channel of dialogue with democratic-minded Russians and support those opposing the Kremlin's policies.

Critics of the bureau's decision argue that retaining someone with Kutaev's documented record undermines the platform's credibility and sends a troubling message about the standards applied to those given a voice within Council of Europe structures. Supporters of keeping him in the platform have not publicly elaborated on the reasoning behind the bureau's choice.