(Moscow) - European leaders should use the upcoming EU-Russia summit to convey alarm over deteriorating human rights in Russia and to press for concrete improvements, Human Rights Watch said today. The summit is scheduled for November 18 and 19, 2009, in Stockholm.

During the past year, Russia has suffered unprecedented blows to its human rights community, with at least five independent civic activists murdered, and others imprisoned, beaten, and harassed. A leading rights activist is facing criminal charges for speaking out over the murder of a colleague. Violence has surged in the North Caucasus.

"At the last EU-Russia summit there was hope for civil society reform in Russia," said Allison Gill, Moscow office director for Human Rights Watch. "Six months later, at least four more activists have been murdered, showing how vulnerable independent voices still are in Russia. The time ...

Russian Federation: Woman abducted in Chechnya: Zarema Gaisanova

Zarema Gaisanova, a 39-year-old Chechen woman, was abducted on 31 October 2009 in the Chechen capital, Grozny, in the Russian Federation's North Caucasus region. It appears that law enforcement officials may have been responsible for her abduction. She has not been seen since then. Zarema Gaisanova's mother was told by a representative of the Public Prosecutor’s office that she was alive, but he could not give her more information.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR46/026/2009/en