From April 2004...6 years on and no action taken..

First Reliable Evidence of Widespread Rape in Chechen Conflict

Report author Dr Charlotte Granville-Chapman said: "Human rights groups have long suspected that sexual violence in the Chechnya conflict is widespread but have faced major difficulties documenting such cases due to the stigma attached to the issue. One female victim told the Medical Foundation said she had been insulted and physically attacked by a woman in her own community when it became known she had been raped."

In its report, the Medical Foundation also documents other forms of torture and ill-treatment, including repeated kicking, beating and burning. Its medical doctors have documented shoulder dislocations, fractures, and damaged kidneys.

Last week the Medical Foundation joined with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Moscow-based human rights organisation Memorial in calling for the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to issue a strong resolution condemning "gross and systematic violations" of human rights in Chechnya at the hands of Russian troops and pro-Moscow Chechen militias.