Chechen kidnaps 'a crime against humanity'

HUMAN Rights Watch said yesterday that widespread kidnappings of civilians, most carried out by government forces, continued in Chechnya and had now reached the level of a crime against humanity. The New York-based organisation said thousands of people have gone missing since 1999.

Alu Alkhanov, Chechnya’s Moscow-backed president, admitted yesterday that human rights abuses persist, and ruled out negotiations with separatists he labelled "terrorists".

Mr Alkhanov spoke on the sidelines of informal talks on the conflict in Strasbourg, France, organised by the Council of Europe.