Ruslan Kutaev

Ruslan Kutayev is a well-known public figure in Chechnya, president of the Assembly of Peoples of the Caucasus. On 20 February 2014, he was detained and subsequently charged with illegal acquisition and possession of drugs, as a bag of heroin was found in his possession when he was searched. However, the testimonies of the police officers who detained him do not agree with each other and contradict the testimonies of other witnesses. There is evidence that Kutayev was tortured after detention. According to him, Apti Alaudinov, deputy head of the Chechen Interior Ministry, and Magomed Daudov, head of the administration of the Chechen head of state, were involved in the torture. Human rights activists are convinced that the reason for Kutayev's persecution was his criticism of the Chechen leadership. Two days before his detention, a conference was held on the deportation of Chechens in 1944; Kutayev was one of the organisers and presenters of the conference. The event displeased the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, and Kutayev was the only participant of the conference who did not go to Magomed Daudov's office the next day, where Kadyrov reprimanded everyone. On 7 July 2014, despite numerous inconsistencies in the prosecution's case, Kutayev was sentenced to four years' imprisonment in a general regime colony and one year's restriction of freedom, with a ban on attending public events and engaging in public activities. On 31 October, the Chechen Supreme Court reduced the sentence by two months and allowed Kutayev to visit public places after his release from the colony.

In November 2017, the court sentenced Kutayev to one year of administrative supervision.

On 20 December, Kutayev was released.