MOSCOW (AFP) — Rights group Amnesty International called on Russia to enforce order and transparency in Chechnya and the north Caucasus where rights violations persist unchecked.
"There has been and continues to be a total failure of political will to uphold the rule of law and address impunity for present and past abuses of human rights in the region," the group said in a report published Wednesday.
The report "is based on testimonies that tell of indiscriminate killings, excessive force, as well as death and torture in custody, arbitrary and secret detention, abduction, targeting of suspects' relatives and forced evictions."
However, the group found it hard to provide specific figures as to the extent of those violations, citing the victims' fear and reluctance to address the authorities.
The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly condemned Moscow for its abuses in the predominantly Muslim Caucasian republic.
Russia has fought two wars there to crush a separatist movement and eventually installed a pro-Moscow government.
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