STRASBOURG, 10 (Islamweb & Agencies) -The Council of Europe has again clashed with Russia over Chechnya, accusing Moscow of covering up its forces' widespread brutality against detainees in the war-torn breakaway province, including summary executions.
In a condemnation of rare virulence, the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) slammed Moscow for not cooperating with its inquiries, refusing to provide information on the execution of up to 58 detainees and denying the existence of a Chechen prison camp.
The criticism was all the stronger in that it came in the form of a public statement -- a rare procedure that the Strasbourg-based CPT has only used twice before in the past 11 years, both times against Turkey.
This latest sanction follows last year's decision by the 43-nation Council of Europe -- Europe's rights watchdog -- to deprive Russia of voting rights in the body's Parliamentary Assembly for six months.
That assembly is expected in September to rediscuss human rights abuses in Chechnya.
Among its evidence, the CPT said an examination of 53 bodies found near Khankala in February -- including several of people who disappeared after arrest -- revealed "clear indications on some of the bodies that the deaths were the result of summary executions".
The CPT said when it last visited the troubled Caucasian republic in March it encountered "a palpable climate of fear ... and a general sentiment that, in any event, justice would not be done".
In June, Moscow told the CPT -- which represents the 41 countries who signed the 1987 European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, including Russia -- the Committee had no right to investigate abuses in Chechnya.
Russian prosecutors said on Tuesday they had launched an inquiry into alleged abuses committed by troops during "cleansing" operations last week which led to the disappearance of several Chechen villagers.
But Russia human rights association Memorial said it was unlikely the civil prosecutors would be able to bring the offenders to book and accused Moscow of losing control over its troops in Chechnya.
Last week's operations in the western Chechen villages of Sernovodsk and Assinovskaya outraged even pro-Moscow Chechen officials, with the head of the pro-Moscow administration in Grozny accusing Russian troops of "a large-scale crime against civilians".
At least 4,000 local villagers subsequently fled to join the tens of thousands of Chechen refugees in the neighbouring republic of Ingueshetia.