You're reading: RFE/RL: Rights watchdog condemns ‘preelection crackdown’ in Chechnya

A leading rights watchdog has accused authorities in Chechnya of systematically erecting a "tyranny" in that southern Russian republic and using "thugs" to intimidate potential rivals and the public ahead of an election next month in which Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is seeking a new term.Human Rights Watch (HRW) says in its 56-page report -- titled Russia: Preelection Crackdown In Chechnya -- that "residents who show dissatisfaction with or seem reluctant to applaud the Chechen leadership and its policies are the primary victims of this [recent] crackdown."

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