Chechnya human rights office set on fire

Attackers have set alight the office of one of the few human rights groups active in Chechnya after it criticised the Russian republic's president, the BBC reported.

They attacked the Joint Mobile Group (JMG) office in the Chechen capital, Grozny, on Saturday evening.

Nobody was hurt but there are concerns over the safety of two activists.

The JMG had criticised Ramzan Kadyrov after he called for collective punishment of the families of rebels behind a recent attack in Grozny.

Islamist rebels launched an assault on the city on 4 December, killing 14 police officers. Nine militants also died.

In the wake of that attack Kadyrov called for relatives of the militants to be punished. Not long afterwards masked men burnt down homes in the village of Yandi.

JMG founder Igor Kalyapin formally complained in Moscow last week about Mr Kadyrov, after which the Kremlin-backed leader publicly accused the NGO official of "backing criminals."

A demonstration was held on Saturday in Grozny against the human rights group, after which armed men tried unsuccessfully to enter its office before setting it on fire.