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RECOMMENDATIONS

To the government of the Russian Federation:
· Direct all Russian Federation forces-including Ministry of Defense troops, OMON, and other Ministry of Interior troops, as well as all staff working at detention centers-immediately to cease carrying out forced disappearances, torture, and summary executions;

· Fully implement the U.N. Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances;

· Hold all detainees only in officially recognized places of detention. Cease the practice of secret detention even if it takes place on the premises of an officially recognized detention facility;

· Inform all detainees immediately of the grounds of arrest and any charges against them. Provide all detainees with immediate and regular access to lawyers, and allow detainees to petition for judicial review of their detention without delay. Recognize procedural rights to all persons detained and/or accused of crimes;

· Inform the families of detained persons of their detention, the reason for and location of the detention. Allow families of detained persons regular contact with detainees;

· Make publicly available regularly updated figures on the number of individuals charged and arrested for security-related crimes in Chechnya, with information on the nature of their alleged crimes and the places of their detention. Maintain accurate registers of the names and places of detention and make such registers readily available to detainees' family, counsel, and other legitimately interested persons;

· Investigate fully allegations of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including cases of enforced disappearance; fully prosecute all officials found responsible for violations; and grant compensation to victims; and

· Issue invitations to the U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and, in compliance with the requirements of Resolution 2000/58, adopted by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, other relevant special rapporteurs and working groups of the commission.

To the United Nations Commission on Human Rights:
This report is published as the United Nations Commission on Human Rights convenes its 57th annual meeting in Geneva. At the last session, in April 2000, the Commission adopted a resolution condemning the on-going abuses in Chechnya and calling on the Russian government to cooperate with visits by U.N. human rights monitors and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and establish a national commission of inquiry to investigate and prosecute those responsible for gross violations. The Russian government rejected last year's resolution and refused to implement almost all of its requirements. One year later, none of the U.N. human rights monitors have visited the region, no national commission of inquiry has been established, and Russian government procurators have taken no meaningful steps to get to the bottom of the worst atrocities committed in Chechnya. Moreover, as documented in this report, serious human rights violations and war crimes continue. Human Rights Watch recommends that the Commission on Human Rights take the following steps during the current session in Geneva:

· Adopt a Resolution on Chechnya, which:

- Condemns Russia's failure to comply with Resolution 2000/58;

- Provides for an international commission of inquiry to investigate allegations and report publicly on atrocities committed in Chechnya;

- Provides for access for and cooperation with all U.N. thematic special rapporteurs, representatives and working groups to the North Caucasus with freedom of operation and movement; access for the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances should be a particular priority;

- Supports the immediate deployment of the OSCE Assistance Group to Chechnya; and

- Provides for a report to the Commission at its next session.

· In light of the prevalence of the phenomenon of "disappearances" in Chechnya, as well as in other regions of the world, give the highest priority to consideration of the draft international convention on the protection of all persons from forced disappearance. At the present session the Commission should establish an inter-sessional open-ended working group and entrust it with the examination and elaboration of the draft convention.

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