Putin most likely still unaware of situation in Chechen capital

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been briefed on the situation in the Chechen capital Grozny yet; that will be done when detailed information is available, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media.

Asked about the rally reportedly underway in Grozny, Peskov said: "Honestly I cannot say if the president is in the know." He remarked that "news from Grozny has just started pouring in."

"I do not think that the president is well up on the situation. Most likely he is still unaware," Peskov said.

"As soon as we have detailed information about what is happening in Grozny, we will certainly report it to the head of state," he promised.
As the chief of the Committee against Torture, Igor Kalyapin, told TASS human rights activists representing that organization had allegedly come under attack in Grozny.

He said that "a rally against journalists involved in information warfare was to be held in Grozny; later it was canceled and a crowd gathered in front of the building where the Committee against Torture has its office in one of the apartments."

Kalyapin said the head of a group of human rights activists, Albert Kuznetsov, appeared in front of the crowd "with the intention to invite several people inside to find out what the problem was and what demands the crowd was pressing for."

"As soon as he stepped out, the crowd rushed into the entrance. Human rights activists locked themselves up inside. The attackers then tried to force the steel door open with heavy hammers. When it became clear that the door was about to give in, the people inside jumped out of the window of their apartment on the second floor and rushed towards a police office. Whether they managed to get there remains unclear. There is no contact with any of them at the moment, Kalyapin said, adding there had been four activists inside.

He said the head of the presidential council for human rights and civil society, Mikhail Fedotov, had been informed about the attack.

Late last year the Committee against Torture complained about the situation in Chechnya in which it had to operate. For instance, the committee said that an office of its mobile group in Grozny was raided and burned down.