Shortly before his scheduled December 9-11 visit to Russia, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell granted an interview to the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta. Asked whether he would be discussing the situation in Chechnya during his visit to Russia, Powell responded: "As for Chechnya, we'll... MORE

Addressing the 9th session of the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov outlined Russia's current policy goals toward the OSCE. Summarizing Ivanov's statement, the pro-presidential Strana.ru wrote: "The problem of double standards is the... MORE

In an interview appearing in the November 29 issue of the Paris-based weekly Russkaya Mysl, human rights activist Sergei Grigoryants, chairman of the "Glasnost" Foundation, commented on his own participation and that of other human rights defenders in the "Civic Forum," an event held in... MORE

On December 3, the online news service Lenta.ru reported that the deputy procurator general of the Russian Federation in the Southern Federal District, Sergei Fridinsky, had announced that "public human rights organizations will be permitted to investigate crimes committed in Chechnya." "Nongovernment human rights organizations,"... MORE

The first attempt to call up Chechens into the ranks of the [Russian] Armed Forces," journalist Dmitry Bal'burov reported in the no. 49 (4-10 December) issue of Moskovskie Novosti, "has taken place. And it has failed." In the middle of November, fifty-five young Chechen men... MORE

On December 4, the Landmine Monitor Report issued a summary of a survey conducted by the Chechen NGO "Refugees against Landmines." Chechen refugees living in northern Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and a small number living in Ingushetia and Chechnya were interviewed for the project. "Chechen [separatist]... MORE

On December 6, Lord Frank Judd, co-chairman of the joint working group of the Russian State Duma and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on human rights in Chechnya, told a press conference held at the Interfax news agency building in Moscow that... MORE

On November 23, the Russian military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda carried an article that sharply assailed the small Assistance Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) located in the town of Znamenskoe in the northern part of Chechnya near the Terek River.... MORE

On November 26 in Strasbourg, a "roundtable" devoted to problems connected with the defense of human rights in Chechnya and sponsored by the Council of Europe got underway. Among those invited to participate in the roundtable were representatives of the human rights organizations Memorial and... MORE