|
|
|
|
TITLE: Pictures of Chechen Grave Suggest Russian Torture |
AUTHOR: |
PUB: Agence France Presse |
DATE: March 5, 2001 |
|
Human rights activists showed photographs Monday that appeared to prove Russian troops had tortured dozens of Chechens in the war-torn republic before executing them and throwing them into a mass grave. Several photographs showed bodies with skin pealed off their faces while others had teeth pulled out. Many were blindfolded and had hands tied behind their backs. The photographs were taken by rights activists from the group Memorial early last week. The groups said the bodies were discovered in a mass grave near the Russian base Khankala on the outskirts of the rebel capital Grozny. The Russian human rights group said at least 50 bodies of Chechens have been recovered so far. It said other such mass graves also existed near the southern Chechen city Urus-Martan and settlement Tangi-Chu. "It is hard to argue that the Chechen rebels did this themselves because they were killed after the Russian forces took Grozny and Khankala," in February 2000, said Oleg Petrov of Memorial. Russian prosecutors have suggested that the bodies were those of civilians killed by rebel guerrillas who refused to join the fight against the federal troops. END |