Human Rights Watch charged that Russian occupying forces...

Human Rights Watch charged that Russian occupying forces executed at least 38 civilians-including two children-in in the Staroproyslovski district of Grozny. In a letter to acting Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, the organization urged him to personally oversee an investigation of the alleged killings and bring those who have committed war crimes to justice. The letter was accompanied by the names of the 38 people the group charges were executed as well as statements from witnesses it interviewed in the neighboring Russian republic of Ingushetia. The organization collected evidence of 55 such killings of civilians by Russian forces in Chechnya and is investigating an additional 12 reported killings. In one Grozny case, Human Rights Watch charged, federal troops exterminated the entire 10-member Zubayev family, including sisters aged 8 and 12 and their 68-year-old grandfather.