Putin Nominates Kadyrov As New Chechen President

[struggle4progress]

By Musa Sadulayev
Combined Report

GROZNY, Russia — President Vladimir Putin nominated a widely feared security chief as the new president of Chechnya on Thursday, while Europe’s human rights chief denounced torture and other rampant abuses in the war-battered region. Ramzan Kadyrov, who previously had served as Chechnya’s prime minister, has run a security force that is accused of abducting and abusing suspected rebels and civilians believed to be connected to them.

Speaking at a conference in Chechnya on Thursday, Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, said he had found widespread evidence of torture and other rights abuses on his trip to the region, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Kadyrov had been widely expected to seek the presidency after turning 30 in October — the minimum age for presidents under local law. His nomination follows Putin’s dismissal of regional President Alu Alkhanov earlier this month and needs to be approved by the local legislature ...

International rights groups have accused Kadyrov’s security force of abuses against civilians, including abductions, torture and killing. Some have speculated that the October killing of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who had reported critically on Chechnya, may have been connected with her investigation of Kadyrov’s administration ...

http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=20839