MOSCOW, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The Russian government is trying to cover up war crimes committed in Chechnya by shutting down two organizations, human rights groups say.
The Russian Supreme Court ruled earlier this week that the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society is an extremist organization and allowed it to be closed, The Independent reported Thursday. The Russian Justice Initiative has been suspended since October.
Both groups have brought international attention to Chechnya.
Amnesty International gave awards last year to two leaders of the RCFS for "journalism under threat." The RJI has won five cases before the European Court of Human Rights for Chechen victims.
"The Russian government has been trying to cover up what has been going on in Chechnya for years," said Allison Gill, head of the Moscow office of Human Rights Watch. "Now they are limiting avenues for international accountability. People applying to the court have already faced threats and intimidation. This takes things even further."
