Fresh plea over Chechnya missing

Chechen capital Grozny: Scarred by years of war

Thousands of civilians have disappeared in war-ravaged Chechnya, in what a leading human rights group describes as a "crime against humanity".

A report by US-based Human Rights Watch documents several dozen new cases of "disappearances" - most carried out by Russian-controlled government agents.

The report says the UN Commission on Human Rights should adopt a strong resolution on the abuses.

Russian forces swept back into Chechnya in 1999 to crush a separatist revolt.

"With 'disappearances' continuing on a wide scale in Chechnya, the practice has now reached the level of a crime against humanity," said the Human Rights Watch report released on Monday.

QUICK GUIDE

The Chechen conflict

Local human rights groups estimate that between 3,000 and 5,000 people have "disappeared" since the war flared up again in 1999, the report says.

Russian officials put the number at 2,090.

"All of these people are either civilians or otherwise unarmed when taken into custody. Russian authorities deny all responsibility for their fate or whereabouts," the report says.

It says it is "astounding" that the European Union failed to take any action over Chechnya during this year's session of the UN Commission on Human Rights.

"Witnesses now tell us that the atmosphere of utter arbitrariness and intimidation is 'worse than a war'," said Rachel Denber, the Human Rights Watch acting director for Europe.

She said the Russian government "simply isn't committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice" and "this perpetuates the cycle of abuse".

Human Rights Watch said Russia should allow UN investigators to visit Chechnya, and urged UN members to put pressure on Moscow to halt the abuses.