Two More People Quit Kremlin Rights Council

Two more members of the Kremlin’s human rights council have quit their posts, following a resignation spree which saw the body stripped of nearly half of its members.

Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor-in-chief of the Russia in Global Affairs Journal, and Ida Kuklina, a leader of the campaigning Soldiers’ Mothers Committee, handed in their resignation to council head Mikhail Fedotov.

“This is not the first time I have announced that I’m leaving the council, and I cannot any longer keep my promise to you to delay my departure until fall,” Kuklina wrote in a letter posted on the body’s website.

Lukyanov, who is also a columnist with RIA Novosti, said his “constant work trips” inhibited him from carrying out his duties “in full.”

Eleven other members of the council, including Transparency International Russian director Elena Panfilova and prominent rights activist Irina Yassina, have tendered their resignations since December’s disputed parliamentary elections.

Council head Fedotov said last month he would also resign if more than a half of the body’s members leave.

The council, whose size fluctuates over the years, has had as many as 40 members.

 

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