Rights Groups Boycott Conference In Chechnya

But major Russian and foreign rights groups have boycotted the event, which they say aims at giving legitimacy to Chechen acting President Ramzan Kadyrov. 

Rights campaigners have long accused Kadyrov, a former separatist rebel, of mass human rights abuses. 

Thomas Hammarberg, the European Commissioner for human rights, is the only prominent international figure attending the event.

Chechen Ombudsman Nurdi Nukhazhiyev said human rights violations continue in Chechnya despite what he described as recent progress. “The situation in the Chechen Republic today enables us to hold a human rights conference, which confirms that there have been radical positive changes,” Nukhazhiyev said. “This does not mean, however, that we don't face problems in the human rights area."

Participants adopted a resolution calling for the creation of a commission to help find the thousands of civilians gone missing in Chechnya since the start of the second conflict between separatist rebels and Russian troops in 1999. 

(with material from Reuters, Interfax, ITAR-TASS)