A human rights group that assists North Caucasus residents fleeing violence has called for a member of the Russian opposition platform at PACE to be removed after he effectively justified “honor killings” in Chechnya, the independent Russian broadcaster TV Rain reported. The group, SK SOS, is seeking the removal of Ruslan Kutayev.

On the YouTube channel The Breakfast Show, Kutayev was asked whether a family in Chechnya has the right to kill one of its members for bringing “shame” upon them. He responded with a question of his own: “And does a family member have the right to bring shame on that family?”

The decision [of what to do] is made exclusively by the family. Neither Kadyrov, nor Zakayev, nor Putin has any influence over that decision. Whatever they do — kill, bring home, throw out, arrange a wedding — all of that is decided by the family.

Kutayev also said he considers LGBTQ+ people in Chechnya to be “outcasts and degenerates.”

SK SOS said it would send an official letter to the PACE bureau and the organization’s chair demanding that they assess Kutayev’s remarks.

The Platform of Russian Democratic Forces at PACE was established to facilitate dialogue with European parliamentarians and to “represent the interests of anti-war Russians.” It began operating in late January.

The platform has 15 members in total. Ruslan Kutayev is one of five participants representing Russia’s indigenous peoples. He is the president of the Assembly of the Peoples of the Caucasus; in the 1990s, Kutayev served as deputy prime minister of the self-proclaimed republic of Ichkeria.