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Arbitrary Detention, Torture, and Extortion in Chechnya

Human Rights Watch
New York · Washington · London · Brussels
Copyright © October 2000 by Human Rights Watch.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the Unted States of America.
ISBN: 1-56432-253-X
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 00-109421

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A NOTE ON THE USE OF NAMES

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

SUMMARY
Mass Arrests and Arbitrary Detention
Torture and Other Abuse at Chernokozovo
Abuses and Torture at Other Places of Detention
The Business of Release: Extortion and "Amnesties"
Incommunicado Detention and "Disappearances"

INTRODUCTION

LEGAL STANDARDS
International Standards
Domestic Standards
The Duty to Investigate

THE PROCESS OF DETENTION
Arrests at Checkpoints and Border Crossings
Arrests in the context of "mop-up" operations
Arrests during targeted sweeps of communities

THE CHERNOKOZOVO DETENTION CENTER
Introduction
Beatings and other torture at Chernokozovo 

The "Cleanup" 

ABUSES AND TORTURE IN OTHER PLACES OF DETENTION 
Stavropol territory 
Military bases 


Other Ad-hoc Detention Centers  Local Police Stations or Command Posts, and Abuse in Transit 

THE BUSINESS OF RELEASE: EXTORTION, "AMNESTIES,"AND THE THREAT OF RE-ARREST 
Extortion
Rearrest and the Threat of Rearrest 

OTHER VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS DEPRIVED OF THEIR LIBERTY 
Prolonged Incommunicado Detention and "Disappearances" 
Denial of access to legal counsel 

RECOMMENDATIONS
To the Government of the Russian Federation 
To the Special Representative for Human Rights in Chechnya Vladimir Kalamanov
To the International Community 
United Nations 
To the Council of Europe 
To the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
To the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Bilateral Donors 
To the European Union and the United States 

APPENDIX 1: KNOWN PLACES OF DETENTION IN CHECHNYA