In early 2000, PHR led an investigation into war crimes and human rights violations committed by Russian forces during the second war with the breakaway Republic of Chechnya. Our findings, published in “Endless Brutality: War Crimes in Chechnya,” revealed that almost half of those surveyed had witnessed at least one killing of a civilian by Russian forces. A follow-up investigation in December 2000 showed that Russian forces were continuing to engage in arbitrary arrests, torture, and shelling of population centers, among other crimes.
In addition to exposing crimes committed against civilians, PHR has also brought international attention to violations of medical neutrality by Russian forces in Chechnya and advocated for protections against these abuses.
