A senior official of the group Human Rights Watch said Russia’s military operations in Chechnya are spreading to neighboring Ingushetia. The official is urging Russia to rein in its forces, or risk further undermining security in the region. The director of the Moscow office of Human Rights Watch, Anna Neistat, said researchers have documented numerous cases of arbitrary detention, ill treatment and looting, during recent Russian military operations in Ingush villages and settlements of displaced Chechens. Ms. Neistat said the evidence shows that Russian forces are exhibiting the same patterns of brutal behavior witnessed in Chechnya. And she said that as long as the region remains unsafe, it is the Russian government’s responsibility to provide protection and assistance to those displaced in the conflict. Ms. Neistat said Human Rights Watch is calling on Russian authorities to comply with Russian and international law, which require the government to ensure that its forces do not target civilians. She said continuing abuses of civilians in Ingushetia could push the region into a civil war like the one in Chechnya. Full Story
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