Human Rights Watch said that 62 civilians were shot...

Human Rights Watch said that 62 civilians were shot to death in Aldy, in western Grozny when Russian soldiers rampaged through this suburb of Chechnya's capital, calling it the worst massacre of the war in the separatist republic, after Chechen rebels abandoned the capital at the end of January and the Russians moved in Feb. 5. In all, 82 bodies were counted, but Human Rights Watch has set its claim at the 62 bodies to whom it said witnesses have supplied names. Attached to the report released on February 22 was a list of the names of 32 victims. Each case was reported by at least two sources who were interviewed separately. The group said these casualties bring the number of documented killings of civilians by Russian troops in Chechnya, mainly in Grozny and its suburbs, to 123 since early December. On March 20, Russia's Main Military Prosecutor's Office concluded an investigation that established Russian troops were not responsible for the killing in February of 62 Chechen civilians in the Grozny suburb of Aldy. The case was turned over to the Grozny city prosecutor for further investigation.