Chehcnya Court urged

March 31, 2003

VLADIKAVKAZ, North Ossetia (AP) -- Human rights activists called Monday for the creation of an international tribunal that would prosecute Russian troops and rebels suspected of war crimes in the region -- an idea the Kremlin has angrily rejected.

A group of 40 Russian and foreign activists signed a statement supporting a proposal for a Chechnya war crimes court modeled after the UN tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights said in a news release.

The idea of a war crimes court for Chechnya was raised in mid-March by Rudolf Bindig, a German member of the Council of Europe, and drew sharp criticism from Russia.

President Vladimir Putin's human rights ombudsman Oleg Mironov said Monday that no international court is needed because "there are enough organizations in Russia to investigate crimes" in Chechnya, Interfax reported.