In an indication that the regime's commitment to "Chechenization" of the conflict was still on the rise, the Russian minister for internal affairs, Boris Gryzlov, stated during a meeting of the MVD for the Southern Federal District held in Rostov-on-Don on April 12 that henceforth... MORE

Ekho Moskvy Radio reported on April 15 that President Putin's human rights representative to Chechnya, Vladimir Kalamanov, would shortly be leaving his post to take up the position of Russian representative to UNESCO. The radio predicted that Kalamanov would be replaced by the well-known former... MORE

On April 16, the Procurator General of Russia, Vladimir Ustinov, invited several leading Russian human rights activists in for a discussion of issues of mutual concern. According to Oleg Orlov, chair of the human rights center Memorial, who attended the meeting, one of the issues... MORE

In an interview with Reuters news service on April 16, Jorma Inki, head of the OSCE mission to Chechnya, stressed that Russian troops must curb their unregulated security sweeps in Chechen villages before peace talks to end the conflict can take place. He said that... MORE

On April 10, the European Parliament of the European Union formally adopted a resolution "on the situation in Chechnya." In this resolution, the parliament reaffirmed its position that "there is no military way to solve the problems in Chechnya" and called upon "all parties involved... MORE

On April 15, the Russian Foreign Ministry responded negatively to this resolution by the European Parliament, terming it a manifestation of "double standards" and "encouragement of terrorism." The resolution, the ministry said, "questions the sovereign right and obligation of a state to maintain constitutional order... MORE

On April 16, Russian State Duma deputy Evgeny Marchenko and leaders of Russian human rights organizations held a press conference in Moscow during which they expressed their concern "over the situation which has been created in Ingushetia on the eve of the second round of... MORE

The no. 26 (April 11) issue of Novaya Gazeta contains a piece entitled "The Constitution of Russia Does Not Cover the Children of Chechnya," authored by award-winning war correspondent Anna Politkovskaya, in which she interviewed Oleg Zhaba, the official Representative for the Rights of Children... MORE

In a development with enormous implications for the Chechen conflict and the fate of Chechen internally displaced persons, retired FSB General Murat Zyazikov was announced as the winner of Ingushetia's presidential election, held on April 28. Zyazikov was reported to have received 52 percent of... MORE