New victims found in Grozny
Ruslan Isayev, North Caucasus - Workers of the public utilities of Grozny’s Leninski district found several bodies of civilians.
Three bodies lay in the cellar of “Krasny molot” engineering works in the centre of Grozny. According to the member of the Leninski district police the bodies bear numerous traces of shrapnel wounds. The expertise results suggest that the people died after an explosion of a grenade thrown into the cellar. The victims have not been identified yet. Several more bodies were discovered in one of the houses in Chmelnickaya Street. The men, middle-aged, were shot to death. Their bodies also bear traces of grenade shrapnel.
Official numbers say there are more than 800 missing people in Chechnya. In spite of the fact, “mopping-up” operations in the country do not cease and Russian soldiers continuously detain people who subsequently often disappear without trace. Detentions and arrests conducted by Russian force structures lack any legal grounds as no records are kept and searches are done without presence of witnesses. Besides, no information is given regarding identity of those who detain or the whereabouts of detained persons. According to the members of “Memorial” human right centre as well as other human rights agencies, the above-mentioned questions have repeatedly been asked in interviews with Russian army commanders in Chechnya. Another detailed interview concerning this issue is due to be held during the meeting of human rights organizations and Russian military commanders in Chechnya in late February.
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