Head of state: Vladimir Putin
Head of government: Mikhail Kasyanov
Death penalty: abolitionist in practice
International Criminal Court: signed
Russian security forces committed serious human rights violations and breached
international humanitarian law in the continuing conflict in the Chechen Republic
(Chechnya), with almost total impunity. In the wake of the hostage incident in
Moscow in October, law enforcement agencies cracked down on Chechen civilians
throughout the Russian Federation. Chechen armed groups committed serious human
rights abuses. An estimated 110,000 internally displaced Chechens lived in harsh
conditions in neighbouring Ingushetia. They reportedly faced forcible return to
Chechnya, in conditions where their security and dignity could not be assured.
Elsewhere in the Russian Federation there were continuing reports of torture and
ill-treatment. Prison conditions were often cruel, inhuman and degrading. Members
of ethnic minorities faced widespread discrimination and racist attacks were often
carried out with impunity. Refugees and asylum-seekers were sent back to countries
where they faced human rights violations.