Chechen PACE member suspended after remarks on LGBTQ+ community and ‘honor killings’

A Chechen representative to a Council of Europe platform has been suspended after defending “honor killings” as a family matter and dismissing LGBTQ+ people as “outcasts,” sparking outrage among human rights groups and raising questions about accountability within exiled opposition circles.

A Chechen representative at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has been suspended following controversial remarks about LGBTQI+s and so-called “honor killings,” prompting backlash from human rights advocates.

Ruslan Kutayev, a member of the PACE Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces, was removed from his role after comments made in recent media appearances drew widespread criticism. The platform, established to represent Russian opposition and minority voices in exile, includes delegates from Indigenous peoples and national minorities.

In an interview with exiled journalist Alexander Plyushchev, Kutayev said he had “no desire” to engage with cases involving LGBTQI+s fleeing violence in Chechnya. Earlier statements went further: he described LGBTQI+s as “outcasts” and suggested that decisions about “honor killings” should be left to families, comments that critics say effectively justify violence.

The remarks triggered immediate condemnation from activists and rights groups, who argued that such views contradict the platform’s stated commitment to democracy and human rights. Advocacy organizations stressed that “the right to life is inalienable” and cannot be overridden by tradition or family decisions.

PACE leadership responded by suspending Kutayev, signaling that his statements were incompatible with the body’s principles. The controversy has also raised broader questions about how representatives are selected to speak on behalf of marginalized communities within Russian opposition structures.

The backlash comes against a backdrop of longstanding persecution of LGBTQI+ community in Chechnya. Since 2017, human rights groups have documented abductions, torture, and killings targeting individuals based on their sexual orientation, with some victims reportedly handed over to relatives for so-called “honor killings.”

Kutayev, a political figure and head of the Assembly of Peoples of the Caucasus, has previously been a controversial figure. He was imprisoned in Chechnya in 2014 on drug charges he claims were politically motivated.

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