1. "RIA reports results of successful crime fighting in Chechnya in 2000," RIA News Agency/BBC Monitoring, May 28, 2000.

2. Beating of the feet, commonly referred to as falanga, falaka, or basinado, is a widely recognized form of torture which can have severe consequences, including muscle necrosis, vascular obstruction, and chronic disability and pain. See Action Against Torture Survivors et al., Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment ("The Istanbul Protocol"), August 1999, for a detailed medical description of the effects of falanga torture.

3. For more information on abuses in the war in Chechnya, see the Human Rights Watch website, www.hrw.org. In addition to many press releases documenting abuses, Human Rights Watch has issued three reports since the resumption of hostilities in Chechnya: "February 5: A Day of Slaughter in Novye Aldi," a Human Rights Watch Short Report, vol. 12, no. 9(D), June 2000; "No Happiness Remains: Civilian Killings, Pillage, and Rape in Alkhan-Yurt," a Human Rights Watch Short Report, vol. 12, no. 5(D), April 2000; and "Civilian Killings in the Staropromyslovski District of Grozny," a Human Rights Watch Short Report, vol. 12, no. 2(D), February 2000. These reports are available in English and Russian. Other human rights organizations have also extensively documented abuses in the conflict in Chechnya; see for example, Amnesty International, Russian Federation: Chechnya. For the Motherland, December 1999 EUR 46/46/99; the respected Russian human rights organization Memorial, (on the internet at www.memorial.ru), and Medicins du Monde.

4. See Michael Gordon, "Troops Try to Regain Footing in Chechnya After Rebel Strikes," New York Times, January 11, 2000.

5. Daniel Williams, "Russians to Detain Males in Chechnya: General Criticizes Troops for Trusting Civilians," Washington Post, January 12, 2000.

6. Daniel Williams, General Kazantsev also stated that "only children up to the age of ten, men over sixty, and women, will henceforth be regarded as refugees." Human Rights Watch press release, "Russia Closes Borders to Chechen Males: Blanket Ban Traps Men in War Zone," January 12, 2000. In the 1994-1995 conflict in Chechnya "filtration camps" were detention centers run by Russian forces ostensibly to weed out Chechen rebels and to gain information about rebel activities. See Human Rights Watch/Helsinki, "Russia/Chechnya: A Legacy of Abuse," A Human Rights Watch Report, vol. 9, no. 2(D), January, 1997. Russian forces were notorious for subjecting "filtration camp" inmates to repeated beatings and other torture. See Memorial Human Rights Center, Conditions in Detention in Chechen Republic Conflict Zone, Treatment of Detainees (Moscow, 1995).

7. Derogation from certain human rights norms, such as procedural rights, are permitted in officially declared public emergencies threatening the life of the nation. However, Russia has not declared a state of emergency in Chechnya under either the procedures of the ICCPR or the ECHR.

8. The protections that humanitarian law affords non-combatants, by design applicable in time of war, are not subject to derogation.

9. Article 1 of Protocol II states it applies, inter alia, to those armed conflicts between a party to the treaty and "dissident armed forces or other organized armed groups which, under responsible command, exercise such control over a part of its territory as to enable them to carry out sustained and concerted military operations and to implement this Protocol." Chechen separatist forces fit this description. Indeed, in May 2000, Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov wrote to the Swiss Federal Council, indicating that the separatist Chechen republic wanted to accede to the four Geneva Conventions and their two additional protocols. "Chechen Rebels bid for Geneva Conventions status," Associated Press, May 6, 2000. As Chechnya is not recognized as an independent state, it is not able to become a party to these treaties, although rebel forces, as inhabitants of states parties, are deemed to be bound by these humanitarian norms as well.

10. Common Article 3(1) to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and Protocol II, art. 4(2).

11. See "Report of the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture," Mr. Nigel S. Rodley, submitted pursuant to the Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1992/32.E/CN.4/1995/34, Paragraph 19, January 12, 1995. See also Aydin v. Turkey, VI Eur. Ct. H.R. (1977).

12. In internal armed conflicts, such as the Chechen conflict, common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions prohibits "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment," while Protocol II is even more explicit, expressly prohibiting "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment, rape, enforced prostitution and any form of indecent assault."

13. Akayesu Judgment, ICTR-96-4-T, Trial Chamber 1, 2 September 1998, paragraph 688.

14. Law of the Russian Federation on the Police, article 11(2).

15. Constitution of the Russian Federation (1993), Article 21(2).

16. Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (entered into force 1997), Article 111.

17. Criminal Procedure Code of the RSFSR (1962, as amended), Article 20(3).

18. Article 5 of the Law of RSFSR on Police, as amended on March 31, 1999, published in Rossiiskaia gazeta, April 8, 1999, p. 5. It states: "Police may not use torture, violence or other forms of cruel or degrading treatment."

19. Article 1 states: "The High Contracting Parties shall secure to everyone within their jurisdiction the rights and freedoms defined in Section I of this Convention." Article 3 states: "No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

20. Assenov and Other v. Bulgaria judgment, October 28, 1998, para. 102.

21. Ibid., para. 106.

22. Aksoy v. Turkey judgment, December 12, 1996, para 61.

23. Article 13 states:

Each State Party shall ensure that any individual who alleges he has been subjected to torture in any territory under its jurisdiction has the right to complain to, and to have his case promptly and impartially examined by, its competent authorities. Steps shall be taken to ensure that the complainant and witnesses are protected against all ill-treatment or intimidation as a consequence of his complaint or any evidence given.

24. Provision 9 of the Principles states:

There shall be thorough, prompt and impartial investigation of all suspected cases of extra-legal, arbitrary and summary executions, including cases where complaints by relatives or other reliable reports suggest unnatural death in the above circumstances. Governments shall maintain investigative offices and procedures to undertake such inquiries. The purpose of the investigation shall be to determine the cause, manner and time of death, the person responsible, and any pattern or practice which may have brought about that death. It shall include an adequate autopsy, collection and analysis of all physical and documentary evidence and statements from witnesses. The investigation shall distinguish between natural death, accidental death, suicide and homicide. 

Provision 17 of the Principles states:

A written report shall be made within a reasonable period of time on the methods and findings of such investigations. The report shall be made public immediately and shall include the scope of the inquiry, procedures and methods used to evaluate evidence as well as conclusions and recommendations based on findings of fact and on applicable law. The report shall also describe in detail specific events that were found to have occurred and the evidence upon which such findings were based, and list the names of witnesses who testified, with the exception of those whose identities have been withheld for their own protection. The Government shall, within a reasonable period of time, either reply to the report of the investigation, or indicate the steps to be taken in response to it.

25. For a full explanation of the failure to provide due process, see the chapter "Other Violations of the Rights of Individuals Deprived of their Liberty" below.

26. "Russian general says movement restriction on Chechen males 'forced' measure,"Interfax News Agency/BBC Worldwide Monitoring, January 14, 2000.

27. The word "propiska" has been excluded from official use since 1995 when the government introduced registratsiya (registration). Registration may be permanent or temporary. In everyday use people still often say "propiska" instead of "registratsiya" but do not distinguish between permanent and temporary. A Russian citizen's registered address is marked as a stamp in his or her internal passport.

28. Human Rights Watch interview with "Issa Akhmadov" (not his real name), aged twenty-one, Ingushetia, February 15, 2000.

29. Human Rights Watch interview with "Adem Hasuev" (not his real name), aged twenty, Ingushetia, April 6, 2000.

30. Human Rights Watch interview with "Idris Batukaev" (not his real name), aged twenty-seven, Ingushetia, April 26, 2000.

31. Ibid.

32. The Kavkaz checkpoint is located inside Chechnya, several kilometers to the east of Sleptsovsk, Ingushetia.

33. Human Rights Watch interview with "Alisa Ebieva" (not her real name), age withheld, Ingushetia, March 28, 2000.

34. Ibid.

35. Ibid.

36. Some mop-up operations--for example in Alkhan-Yurt and Aldi--turned into wanton rampages of summary executions and looting, with Russian forces responsible for large-scale killings and other serious abuses. Human Rights Watch, "February 5: A Day of Slaughter in Novye Aldi," a Human Rights Watch Short Report, vol. 12, no. 9(D), June 2000; Human Rights Watch, "No Happiness Remains: Civilian Killings, Pillage, and Rape in Alkhan-Yurt," a Human Rights Watch Short Report, vol. 12, no. 5(D), April 2000.

37. Human Rights Watch interview with "Khamid Taramov" (not his real name), aged forty-nine, Ingushetia, May 8, 2000. MVD is the Russian acronym for the Ministry of Internal Affairs; FSK is the Russian acronym for the Federal Counter-Intelligence Service, a successor to the KGB, which is now known as the FSB.

38. Ibid.

39. Human rights watch interview with Eliza Ismailova, aged thirty, Ingushetia, April 24, 2000.

40. Human Rights Watch interview with Tamara Doshaeva, aged forty-seven, Yandirka displaced persons camp, Ingushetia, April 28, 2000.

41. The arrests occurred in the wake of shelling of the densely populated town: after Russian forces entered the town they executed at least seven men. See "Russian Soldiers Executed Seven Men in Chechen Village; Snipers in Gekhi-Chu Shot Civilians," Human Rights Watch press release, March 31, 2000. "Sultan Deniev" believes that the date he was detained was actually February 5 or 6, but his accounts of events in Gekhi Chu as well information from a foreign journalist who interviewed a man detained with him suggest that his date of arrest was February 7. This date was also noted on a certificate (spravka) given to "Sultan Deniev" upon his release.

42. Human Rights Watch interview with "Sultan Deniev" (not his real name), aged twenty-five, Ingushetia, April 18, 2000.

43. Although "Leyla Saigatova" and "Aslanbek Digaev" said the operation took place on January 23, another witness, Saipudin Saadulayev, gave the date as January 22.

44. Human Rights Watch interview with "Leyla Saigatova" (not her real name), age unknown, Ingushetia, May 11, 2000.

45. Human Rights Watch interview with "Aslanbek Digaev" (not his real name), aged forty-two, Ingushetia, May 16, 2000.

46. Ibid.

47. See David Hoffman, "Russia Confirms Chechen Strike; Moscow Acknowledges Ambush Losses, Rejects Negotiations," Washington Post, April 28, 2000.

48. "Total of 46 tonnes of explosives seized in Chechnya," ITAR-TASS, April 29, 2000. Itar-Tass quoted the Ministry of Internal Affairs that the aim had been to "block and destroy a rebel group," and that raids for arms and fighters had been conducted in other places in Chechnya as well.

49. Human Rights Watch interview with "Khamzat Vakuev" (not his real name), aged twenty-eight, May 26, 2000.

50. Human Rights Watch interview with Tahir Turpalkhanov, aged thirty-seven, Nazran, Ingushetia, May 15, 2000. Tahir Turpalkhanov's account of events was supported by a video made by a resident of Tsotsin Yurt, who filmed some of the alleged vandalism and interviewed several witnesses as well as the surviving released detainee. See below, "Other Military Encampments" section in the "Abuse and Torture in Other Places of Detention" chapter of this report.

51. Human Rights Watch interview with "Asya Arsimakova" (not her real name), aged fifty-two, Ingushetia, 21 April 2000.

52. The pattern of torture described below corresponds to well-documented patterns of torture throughout Russia, whereby Russian police use a combination of psychological and physical violence to disorient the individual, or reduce him or her to a state of shock so that he or she will provide any "necessary" information or sign any document. See Human Rights Watch, Confessions at any Cost: Police Torture in Russia (New York: Human Rights Watch, 1999).

53. "Russia: No evidence of human rights violations found in filtration camp," RIA News Agency, Moscow, in English /BBC Worldwide Monitoring, February 29, 2000.

54. Russia's prison system is run by the Ministry of Justice. Police lock-ups, or izoliatry vremenogo zaderzhania --IVS--are run by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The deputy chief of the Ministry of Justice's Main Department for Penal Implementation, Aleksandr Zubkov, blamed the abuse at Chernokozovo in January and February on the Ministry of Internal Affairs, stating that at that time, "staff of the Justice Ministry's special unit were only responsible for guarding the perimeter and escorting prisoners." "Interior Ministry to check journalist's claims of beatings of Chechen detainees," World News Connection, February 29, 2000.

55. OMON is the Russian acronym for special task police units, or riot police. Human Rights Watch has written to the Russian Ministry of the Interior and the procuracy to request clarification about the jurisdiction over Chernokozovo but has not received a response as of the date of publication of this report.

56. The transfer of authority can be ascertained by assessing the way Russian officials spoke of the detention facility. On February 7, officials from the Ministry of Justice said that Chernokozovo was the "only detention center in Chechnya which operates at present," which from the context seemed to imply that the facility fell under its authority. "Justice bodies supervising administering of punishments have been restored in Chechnya," ITAR-TASS, February 7, 2000. The authority of the Justice Ministry over the facility was confirmed by February 17, when Russia's spokesperson on Chechnya Sergei Yastrzhembsky said specifically that Chernokozovo fell under the Justice Ministry. Patrick Cockburn, "Russia rattled by torture claims at Chechen camps," Independent (London), February 18, 2000. However, when responding to allegations of the torture of Radio Liberty journalist Andrei Babitsky, the Justice Ministry said that at the time he was held, namely from mid-January until February 3, the MVD was responsible for Chernokozovo.

57. "Visit by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture to the North Caucasian Region of the Russian Federation," CPT Press Release, March 6, 2000. Furthermore, two detainees interviewed by Human Rights Watch who were released on March 30 were given virtually identical, handwritten certificates stating that they had been held in "investigative isolation" at IZ 4/12 Chernokozovo (although both had actually been transferred to other facilities). Human Rights Watch interviews with "Issa Habuliev" (not his real name), aged forty-six, Ingushetia, April 8, 2000; and "Movsar Larsanov," Ingushetia, May 25, 2000.

58. Former detainee to Human Rights Watch, February 21, 2000.

59. Human Rights Watch interview with "Alvi Khanaev" (not his real name), aged thirty-nine, Ingushetia, February 17, 2000.

60. Human Rights Watch interview with "Alimkhan Visaev" (not his real name), aged twenty-seven, Ingushetia, March 22, 2000.

61. Human Rights Watch interview with "Issa Akhmadov," Ingushetia, February 15, 2000.

62. Human Rights Watch interview with Tanya Kovtorashvilli, Nazran, Ingushetia, April 13, 2000.

63. Human Rights Watch interview with "Abdul Jambekov" (not his real name), aged thirty-three, Ingushetia, May 7, 2000.

64. Human Rights Watch interview with "Magomed Kantiev" (not his real name), aged forty-four, Ingushetia, May 13, 2000.

65. Human Rights Watch interview with Tanya Kovtorashvilli, Nazran, Ingushetia, April 13, 2000. Initially, the morgue attendants demanded money for the release of the body, saying, "If you will pay for him, we will give you the body back." After a lengthy argument, the aunt was finally allowed to leave with Aindi Kovtorashvilli's body after paying 800 rubles for the "treatment" of the corpse.

66. Human Rights Watch interview with "Fatimah Akhmedova" (not her real name), aged twenty-two, Ingushetia, March 7, 2000.

67. Thirty-eight-year-old "Aslanbek Digaev," for example told Human Rights Watch that he "was taken for official questioning four times," and that when taken for questioning he had to run, head down, with guards beating him. Human Rights Watch interview with "Aslanbek Digaev," Ingushetia, May 16, 2000.

68. Human Rights Watch interview with "Abdul Jambekov," Ingushetia, May 7, 2000.

69. Ibid.

70. Human Rights Watch interview with "Marina Jambekova" (not her real name) Ingushetia, May 28, 2000.

71. Human Rights Watch interview with "Yakub Tasuev" (not his real name), aged thirty-two, Ingushetia, February 21, 2000.

72. Human Rights Watch interview with "Sultan Eldarbiev" (not his real name), aged forty-four, Ingushetia, March 25, 2000.

73. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ali Baigiraev" (not his real name), aged thirty-four, Ingushetia, February 21, 2000.

74. Baigiraev described how he experienced falanga torture when being questioned on February 5, 2000: "I was beaten and kicked on the soles of my feet with metal and plastic batons, reversed to beat me on the soles of my feet [with the metal part]." Ibid.

75. Ibid.

76. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ibrahim Aziev" (not his real name), aged thirty-two, Ingushetia, March 2, 2000.

77. Human Rights Watch interview with "Yakub Tasuev," Ingushetia, February 21, 2000.

78. Human Rights Watch interview with "Sultan Eldarbiev," Ingushetia, March 25, 2000.

79. Human Rights Watch interview with "Umar Khakimov" (not his real name), aged forty-six, Ingushetia, February 21, 2000.

80. In Russia and Central Asia, the term "Wahhabism" refers to "Islamic fundamentalism" and extremism. Discrepancy exists among the definitions of "Wahhabism," however. Historically, "Wahhabism" is a branch of Sunnism practiced in Saudi Arabia and named after its founder, Islamic scholar Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab. The eighteenth-century movement known as "Wahhabism" advocated a conservative agenda of purifying the Muslim faith and simultaneously encouraged independent thinking, a potentially liberal stance. 

The term is used in Russia and Central Asia to suggest radicalism and militancy. It is often used pejoratively. The Russian and Central Asian conception of "Wahhabism" retains a linkage to "foreignness" in general, including to Saudi Arabia. In the context of the Chechnya war, Russian soldiers and many Chechen civilians use the term "Wahhabi" broadly and derogatively to refer to Chechen fighters, particularly those who serve under Khattab, a field commander from the Middle East known for his religious agenda in Chechnya.

81. Human Rights Watch interview with "Sultan Eldarbiev," Ingushetia, March 25, 2000.

82. Human Rights Watch interview with "Alimkhan Visaev," Ingushetia, March 22, 2000.

83. Human Rights Watch interview with "Issa Akhmadov," Ingushetia, February 15, 2000.

84. Ibid.

85. Ibid.

86. Human Rights Watch interview with "Adem Hasuev," Ingushetia, April 6, 2000.

87. Human Rights Watch interview with "Movsar Larsanov," Ingushetia, May 25, 2000

88. Human Rights Watch interview with "Akhmed Isaev" (not his real name), aged twenty-four, Ingushetia, February 17, 2000.

89. Human Rights Watch interview with "Alvi Khanaev," Ingushetia, February 17, 2000.

90. "Issa Habuliev," describing the nighttime beatings in Chernokozovo.

91. Human Rights Watch Interview with "Magomed Habuev," Ingushetia, May 13, 2000.

92. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ali Baigiraev," Ingushetia, February 21, 2000

93. Human Rights Watch interview with "Aslanbek Digaev," Ingushetia, May 16, 2000.

94. Ibid.

95. Human Rights Watch interview with "Abdul Jambekov," Ingushetia, May 7, 2000.

96. Human Rights Watch interview with "Movsar Larsanov," Ingushetia, March 25, 2000.

97. Human Rights Watch interview with "Asya Arsimakova," Ingushetia, April 21, 2000.

98. Human Rights Watch interview with "Magomed Kantiev," Ingushetia, May 13, 2000.

99. Human Rights Watch interview with Andrei Babitsky, May 24, 2000; Human Rights Watch interview with "Movsar Larsanov," May 25, 2000.

100. Human Rights Watch interview with "Akhmed Isaev," Ingushetia, February 17, 2000.

101. Human Rights Watch interview with "Alvi Khanaev," Ingushetia, February 17, 2000.

102. Human Rights Watch interview with "Adem Hasuev," Ingushetia, April 6, 2000.

103. Human Rights Watch interview with "Alimkhan Visaev," Ingushetia, March 22, 2000.

104. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ali Baigiraev," Ingushetia, February 21, 2000.

105. Human Rights Watch interview with "Akhmed Isaev," Ingushetia, February 17, 2000. Another witness confirmed this practice. "Umar Khakimov" told Human Rights Watch: "They used gas. They asked if we wanted to smoke, and then used the teargas." Human Rights Watch interview, Ingushetia, February 21, 2000.

106. Human Rights Watch interview with "Alvi Khanaev," Ingushetia, February 17, 2000.

107. See below, specifically Human Rights Watch interview with "Sultan Eldarbiev," Ingushetia, March 25, 2000.

108. The Trial Chamber in the Akayesu case defined sexual violence broadly: "Sexual violence is not limited to physical invasion of the human body and may include acts which do not involve penetration or even physical contact," including forced nudity. Akayesu Judgment, ICTR-96-4-T.

109. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ibrahim Aziev," Ingushetia, March 2, 2000, and April 17, 2000.

110. Human Rights Watch interview with "Sultan Eldarbiev," Ingushetia, March 25, 2000.

111. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ali Baigiraev," Ingushetia, March 25, 2000.

112. Human Rights Watch interview with "Alvi Khanaev," Ingushetia, February 17, 2000

113. Human Rights Watch interview with "Alimkhan Visaev," Ingushetia, March 22, 2000

114. "Movsar Larsanov" told Human Rights Watch that a man who said he was the head of the prison accompanied the "commission." Human Rights Watch interview, Ingushetia, May 25, 2000. Human Rights Watch wrote to the procurator general to request information about the commission and its agenda. As of this writing we have received no response.

115. Human Rights Watch interview with "Salman Sulumov" (not his real name), aged forty-six, February 20, 2000.

116. Human Right Watch interview with "Bislan Magomadov" (not his real name), aged forty-two, February 20, 2000

117. Human Rights Watch interview with "Movsar Larsanov," Ingushetia, May 25, 2000.

118. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ali Baigiraev," Ingushetia, February 21, 2000

119. Human Rights Watch interview with "Umar Khakimov," February 21, 2000.

120. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ali Baigiraev," Ingushetia, February 21, 2000

121. Maura Reynolds, "Journalists Tour Notorious Chechen Prison," Los Angeles Times Home Edition, February 29, 2000

122. There had been rumors about the large-scale detention and torture in Chernokozovo as early as January 2000.

123. Andrei Zolotov Jr, "Letter: Babitsky Saw Torture," Moscow Times, February 11, 2000. The letter was initially given to a Le Monde journalist by a woman who said its author wanted it to be made available to the world. Russian forces arrested Babitsky, detained him at Chernokozovo, and then "exchanged" him to a Chechen field commander.

124. See Human Rights Watch, "Hundreds of Chechens Detained in 'Filtration Camps': Detainees Face Torture, Extortion, Rape," February 18, 2000.

125. Patrick Cockburn, "Russia rattled by torture claims at Chechen camps,"Independent, February 18, 2000.

126. "Russian Justice Ministry Denies Atrocity Reports," World News Connection, Itar-Tass, February 26, 2000.

127. "Angry Russia defends its rights record before Washington," Agence France-Presse, March 1, 2000.

128. In Russian, In Russian, Stolypinskie vagony, named after Tsar Nicholas II's ruthless prime minister, Petr Stolypin. This was also the term coined for prisoner transport vehicles during the Stalin era.

129. Human Rights Watch interview with "Movsar Larsanov," Ingushetia, February 25, 2000.

130. Amnesty International press release, "Real Scale of Atrocities in Chechnya: New Evidence of Cover-Up," March 24, 2000.

131. European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Press Release, "Situation in the North Caucasus: Russian authorities release observations by Council of Europe Anti-Torture Committee delegation," April 3, 2000.

132. Specifically, the CPT stated the following: "[I]t is of crucial importance, in the interests of the prevention of ill-treatment, for what happened in the establishment during the period December 1999 to early February 2000 to be the subject of a thorough and independent inquiry and for appropriate sanctions to be imposed on those responsible for ill-treatment. In application of Article 8, paragraph 5 of the Convention [European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment], the delegation requests that such an inquiry be carried out without delay and that the Russian authorities inform the CPT of its outcome within three months. Further, the delegation calls upon the Russian authorities to remain particularly vigilant with regard to the manner in which prisoners are treated at Chernokozovo." Ibid.

133. Human Rights Watch with "Movsar Larsanov," Ingushetia, May 25, 2000.

134. Amelia Gentleman, "Fresh Paint Fails to Hide Stench of Fear," Guardian, March 2, 2000; Patrick E. Tyler, "At Russian Camp, Two Views of Chechen Prisoners," New York Times, March 1, 2000.

135. He said, "It is a glaring lie to portray Chernokozovo as a place where people are shot and tortured almost every day." "Kalamanov says no filtration camps in Chechnya," Itar-Tass, March 1, 2000.Later that month, he said, "None of the delegations have confirmed rumors of torture or humiliation…. In each case when torture is in question, I must be contacted because I am responsible for the observation of human rights in Chechnya… We have not received such information…." "Human rights commissioner denies Chechnya torture reports," Interfax News Agency, March 29, 2000.

136. Council of Europe press release, "Council of Europe mission continues to make significant progress in Chechnya," July 21, 2000.

137. A sampling of detention centers and their legal status is available by examining the list of centers visited by the CPT. SIZOs [Sledstvennyi izoliator, or pre-trial detention centers] are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, IVSs [Izoliator vremennogo soderzhaniia, or temporary holding cells at police facilities] are under the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry. Both hold pre-trial detainees. 

On its first visit, from February 27 to March 4, 2000, the CPT visited the following facilities: SIZO No. 1, Grozny; SIZO No. 2, Chernokozovo; IVS, Chervlyonnaya Station; IVS, Naurskiy District Department of Internal Affairs; IVS, Shali District Department of Internal Affairs; IVS, Temporary Internal Affairs Department of Grozny Selsky District (Tolstoy Yurt); the former holding facility, Goryacheistochnenskoye (Tolstoy Yurt); SIZO No. 1, Vladikavkaz (North Ossetia); IVS, Mozdok District Department of Internal Affairs (North Ossetia); and SIZO No. 2, Pyatigorsk (Stavropol). The delegation also went to hospitals in Naurskiy and Tolstoy Yurt and spoke with members of the local population in several of the localities visited, including Grozny. CPT Press Release, "Visit by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture to the North Caucasian region of the Russian Federation," March 6, 2000.

On its second visit, from April 20 to 27, 2000, the CPT visited the following facilities: 

SIZO No. 2, Chernokozovo; Oktyabrskiy District Temporary Department of Internal Affairs, Grozny; Zavodskoy District Temporary Department of Internal Affairs, Grozny; Temporary Department of Internal Affairs, Gudermes; Unit of the Federal Security Service, Khankala Base of the Allied Group of Armed Forces; Unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Khankala Base of the Allied Group of Armed Forces; Temporary Department of Internal Affairs, Shelkovskaya; Temporary Department of Internal Affairs, Urus-Martan; Regional Department of Internal Affairs, Urus-Martan; Department of the Federal Security Service, Urus-Martan; SIZO of the Federal Security Service in North Ossetia-Alania, Vladikavkaz (North Ossetia); Territory Hospital at Colony No. 3, Georgievsk (Stavropol Territory); and SIZO No. 2, Pyatigorsk (Stavropol Territory). CPT Press Release, "Second visit to the North Caucasus by the European Anti-Torture Committee" May 2, 2000.

138. Human Rights Watch interview with "Issa Habuliev," Ingushetia, April 8, 2000.

139. Ibid.

140. Human Rights Watch interview with "Magomed Kantiev," May 13, 2000.

141. Human Rights Watch interview with "Magomed Kantiev," Ingushetia, May 13, 2000.

142. Human Rights Watch interview with "Aslanbek Digaev," Ingushetia, May 16, 2000.

143. Human Rights Watch interview with "Magomed Kantiev,"Ingushetia, May 13, 2000. Memorial also shared with Human Rights Watch the details of an interview with a former Chernokozovo detainee who had been transferred to Pyatigorsk and Stavropol at the end of February. The man reported being forced to do identical exercises in the bathroom described by "Magomed Kantiev." Human Rights Watch interview with researcher for Memorial, May 6, 2000.

144. Human Rights Watch interview with "Idris Batukaev," aged twenty-seven, Ingushetia, April 26, 2000.

145. Ibid.

146. Glavnoe Razvedevatelnoye Upravlenie, or military intelligence.

147. Human Rights Watch interview with "Idris Batukaev," Ingushetia, April 26, 2000.

148. Ibid.

149. Human Rights Watch interview with "Idris Batukaev's" wife, Ingushetia, April 26, 2000.

150. Human Rights Watch interview with "Zina Salmanova" (not her real name), age unknown, Ingushetia, April 18, 2000.

151. Human Rights Watch interview with doctor speaking on condition of anonymity, Ingushetia, March 25, 2000.

152. Human Rights Watch interview with "Idris Batukaev," Ingushetia, April 26, 2000.

153. Detainees were in the custody, apparently of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the FSB.

154. These are "Magomed Kantiev," "Salman Sulumov," and Andrei Babitsky. In colloquial Russian, this vehicle may be called GAZ 53, avtozak, or voronok. It is a truck, with two compartments in the trailer that serve as holding cells.

155. Human Rights Watch interview with "Fatimah Akhmedova," Ingushetia, March 7, 2000.

156. Ibid.

157. Human Rights Watch interview with Memorial researcher, Nazran, Ingushetia, May 15, 2000. The victim apparently looks far younger than her nineteen years.

158. Human Rights Watch interview with "Movsar Larsanov," Ingushetia, May 25, 2000.

159. Human Rights Watch interview with "Badrudi Kantaev" (not his real name), aged forty-nine, Ingushetia, May 26, 2000.

160. Contract soldiers work on short-term military service contracts. Chechen civilians usually describe Russian soldiers as being either srochniki--conscripts--or kontraktniki-- contract soldiers. Conscript soldiers are usually identifiable by their young age. Chechen civilians typically use the blanket term "kontraktniki" for all other Russian forces.

161. Human Rights Watch interview with "Salman Sulumov," Ingushetia, February 20, 2000.

162. Human Rights Watch interview with "Sultan Deniev," Ingushetia, April 18, 2000.

163. The researcher has requested anonymity. Nazran, Ingushetia, April 22, 2000.

164. Human Rights Watch interview with "Askerkhan Umarkhanov" (not his real name), age unknown, Ingushetia, April 24, 2000.

165. "Civilian Killings in the Staropromyslovski District of Grozny," A Human Rights Watch Short Report, vol. 12, no. 2(D), February 2000. The testimony of Saadulayev can be found on pages 10 and 11 of that report.

166. This incident happened soon after a Russian general had been killed by Chechen fighters. Although Saipudin Saadulayev reports the date as January 22, "Aslanbek Digaev" and relatives of the other Karpinky detainees said the men were arrested on January 23.

167. Human Rights Watch interview with "Aslanbek Digaev," Ingushetia, May 16, 2000.

168. Human Rights Watch interview with Saipudin Saadulaev, Ingushetia, February 4, 2000.

169. Human Rights Watch interview with "Khamzat Vakuev," May 26, 2000.

170. Ibid.

171. Ibid.

172. Ibid.

173. Human Rights Watch interview with Tahir Turpalkhanov, aged thirty-seven, Nazran, Ingushetia, May 15, 2000. Tahir Turpalkhanov's account of events was supported by a video made by a resident of Tsotsin Yurt, who filmed some of the alleged vandalism, interviewed several witnesses as well as a released detainee.

174. Home videotape filmed by a villager from Tsotsin Yurt on May 1 and 2, 2000, given to Human Rights Watch on May 15, 2000 by Tahir Turpalkhanov.

175. Human Rights Watch interview with Tahir Turpalkhanov, Nazran, Ingushetia, May 15, 2000.

176. "Sultan Deniev" allowed Human Rights Watch to photograph this certificate.

177. Deputy Minister of Justice Kalinin was cited on February 7, 2000 as saying "the only detention center in Chechnya which operates at present is located in the settlement of Chernokozovo in the Naursky region." Vladimir Nuyakshev and Yevgeniy Sobetskiy, "Chechnya: Punishment Administering Bodies Restored," Itar-Tass/World News Connection,February 7, 2000.

178. Human Rights Watch interview with "Sultan Deniev," Ingushetia, April 18, 2000.

179. Ibid.

180. Ibid.

181. After being held in Tolstoy Yurt for several days they were transferred to Chernokozovo.

182. Human Rights Watch interview with "Roza Yandieva" (not her real name), aged twenty-eight, Ingushetia, 22 April, 2000.

183. Human Rights Watch interview with "Leyla Saigatova," Ingushetia, April 12, 2000.

184. Human Rights Watch interview, May 6, 2000.

185. Internat is the Russian term for an orphanage or boarding school.

186. Detainees in Urus-Martan are also held at the district police station, and at the local FSB department. See, "Second visit to the North Caucasus by the European Anti-Torture Committee," CPT press release, May 2, 2000. Available at www.cpt.coe.int.

187. Human Rights Watch telephone interview with Le Monde journalist Natalie Nougayrede, May 31, 2000.

188. Amnesty International press release, "Russian Federation: Continuing torture and rape in Chechnya," 8 June 2000.

189. Human Rights Watch interview with "Issa Zagoyev" (not his real name), aged twenty-three, Ingushetia, April 8, 2000.

190. Ibid.

191. Human Rights Watch interview with "Abu Uruskhanov" (not his real name), aged thirty, Ingushetia, April 26, 2000.

192. Human Rights Watch interview with "Issa Zagoyev," Ingushetia, April 8, 2000.

193. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ilyas Makhmadov" (not his real name), aged thirty-one, Ingushetia, May 13, 2000.

194. Spetsialnyi otriad bystrogo otreagirovanii, or rapid reaction forces.

195. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ilyas Makhmadov," Ingushetia, May 13, 2000.

196. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ilyas Makhmadov," Ingushetia, May 13, 2000..

197. Human Rights Watch interview with Fatima Umarova, aged 40, Ingushetia, March 16, 2000.

198. Daniel Williams, "U.N. Rights Chief Blocked From Chechen Sites; Russians Prevent Inspection Of Areas of Suspected Atrocities," Washington Post, April 3, 2000.

199. CPT Press Release, "Second visit to the North Caucasus by the European Anti-Torture Committee," Strasbourg, May 2, 2000.

200. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ilyas Makhmadov," Ingushetia, May 13, 2000.

201. Most provided little detail about the conditions of their detention in Znamenskoye, the bulk of the interview focusing on the subsequent abuses in Chernokozovo.

202. To protect "Visaev's" identity, we do not disclose the name of the town where he was detained.

203. Human Rights Watch interview with "Alimkhan Visaev," Ingushetia, March 22, 2000.

204. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ali Baigiraev," Ingushetia, February 21, 2000.

205. Human Rights Watch interview with "Yakub Tasuev," Ingushetia, February 21, 2000.

206. Human Rights Watch interview with "Rizvan Visangiriev" (not his real name), aged forty-seven, Ingushetia, March 29, 2000.

207. Human Rights Watch interview with "Zurab Aliev" (not his real name), aged thirty-three, Ingushetia, April 27, 2000.

208. Approximately U.S. $71 and U.S. $178, respectively.

209. The sum of 900 rubles is about U.S. $32.

210. Human Rights Watch interview, Ingushetia, April 23, 2000. He also claimed that he "bargained" with the authorities on behalf of a family over another man detained in the Georgievsk prison hospital in Pyatigorsk; although the asking price was initially U.S. $10,000 for the twenty-one year old man, he believes that the family probably paid $2,000 or $3,000 for their son.

211. Human Rights Watch interview with "Abu Uruskhanov," April 26, 2000.

212. Ibid.

213. Human Rights Watch interview with "Marina Jambekova," Ingushetia, May 8, 2000.

214. Human Rights Watch interview with "Magomed Kantiev," Ingushetia, May 13, 2000.

215. Human Rights Watch interview with "Alimkhan Visaev," Ingushetia, March 22, 2000.

216. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ali Baigiraev's" sister,Ingushetia, March 25, 2000.

217. Human Rights Watch interview with Khamzat Abubakarov, Karabulak, Ingushetia, April 29, 2000.

218. Human Rights Watch interview with Khamzat Abubakarov, Karabulak, Ingushetia, May 5, 2000.

219. Human Rights Watch interview with Khamzat Abubakarov, Karabulak, Ingushetia, May 18, 2000.

220. Human Rights Watch interview with head of administration of a Chechen town (name withheld), Ingushetia, April 27, 2000.

221. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ilyas Makhmadov," Ingushetia, May 13, 2000. In 1999, the Russian government appointed Bislan Gantemirov, former mayor of Grozny, who was serving a prison term for embezzlement, as head of the pro-Russian forces in Chechnya. He was later removed.

222. Human Rights Watch interview with "Issa Zagoyev," Ingushetia, April 8, 2000. AZhiguli is a Russian-made compact car.

223. Ibid.

224. Human Rights Watch with "Issa Habuliev's" wife, Ingushetia, April 22, 2000.

225. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ali Baigiraev's" cousin, March 25, 2000.

226. Human Rights Watch interview with "Ali Baigiraev," Ingushetia, February 21, 2000.

227. Human Rights Watch interview with "Idris Batukaev," Ingushetia, April 26, 2000.

228. Human Rights Watch interview with "Idris Batukaev," Ingushetia, May 27, 2000.

229. Experts from the Council of Europe concurred with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe's opinion that, even though Russian authorities attempted to argue that there was a de facto state of emergency in Chechnya, the fact that it had not been formally declared and that derogations had not been made in law meant that the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights continued to apply in full. Council of Europe document, "Addendum to the Consolidated report containing an analysis of the correspondance between the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the Russian Federation under Article 52 of the European Convention on Human Rights," SG/Inf(2000)24 Addendum, June 26, 2000.

230. By mid-April, 2000, Human Rights Watch received nineteen such lists, many of which contained duplicate information, containing a total of 130 names. Interviewees could not identify the source of the lists, but suggested they were compiled by released detainees and sympathetic prison staff.

231. A journalist who was in Urus-Martan saw a group of a dozen relatives waiting there when she visited Urus-Martan in late March. Human Rights Watch interview with Natalie Nougayrede, of Le Monde, by telephone, May 31, 2000.

232. Iznaurov is originally from the Okruzhnaya district but has a residence permit for Kalmykia. Human Rights Watch interview with Zina and Roza Iznaurova, Ingushetia, April 20, 2000.

233. Human Rights Watch interview with "Abdul Jambekov," Ingushetia, May 7, 2000.

234. Human Rights Watch interview with "Marina Jambekova," Ingushetia, March 28, 2000, and with "Abdul Jambekov," May 7, 2000.

235. Article 9(2) of the ICCPR obliges states to inform detainees of the charges against them.

236. Under article 48(2) of the Russian constitution, criminal suspects have the right to counsel from the moment of detention, and under article 58 of the criminal procedure code police are obligated to inform them of this right. Principle 17(1) of the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment (Body of Principles), which applies to all people who are detained, states that "a detained person shall be entitled to have the assistance of a legal counsel. He shall be informed of his right by the competent authority promptly after arrest and shall be provided with reasonable facilities for exercising it."

237. "Chechnya rights official pledges inmate lawyer inquiry," Agence France-Presse, March 12, 2000.

238. "Russia: Chernokozovo inmates to get lawyers after PACE visit," Itar-Tass News Agency/BBC Worldwide Monitoring, March 11, 2000.

239. Council of Europe press release, "Council of Europe mission continues to make significant progress in Chechnya," Strasbourg, July 21, 2000.

240. Human Rights Watch interview with "Idris Batukaev," April 26, 2000.

241. Human Rights Watch interview with "Abu Uruskhanov," April 26, 2000.

242. Human Rights Watch interview with "Movsar Larsanov," May 25, 2000.

243. Human Rights Watch interview with "Movsar Larsanov," Ingushetia, May 25, 2000.

244. "Abdul Jambekov" used the Russian word for a police report protokol, but it was unclear whether he was refering to an arrest report or interrogation report.

245. Human Rights Watch interview with "Abdul Jambekov," Ingushetia, May 7, 2000.

246. Human Rights Watch interview with "Aslanbek Digaev," Ingushetia, May 16, 2000.