Rights Official Grim After Chechnya Tour

The United Nations’ top human rights official sharply criticized Russia for abuses in Chechnya, saying she heard “very harrowing” accounts on a trip to the war-torn republic. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson also said she was denied access to villages and a detention center she deemed vital to her investigation. Russia’s human rights envoy to Chechnya, Vladimir Kalamanov, bluntly rejected her criticism, saying security concerns had prevented visits to some sites and that Robinson chose not to visit the Chernokozovo detention camp. The Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights watchdog, votes this week on whether to suspend Russia for abuses in Chechnya.