The U.S. State Department said on March 8 in its annual report on human rights worldwide that the continued centralization of power under President Putin in 2005 resulted in the erosion of the accountability of government leaders to the people. The study added that Moscow\'s human rights record in the continuing conflicts in Chechnya and elsewhere in the North Caucasus remained poor. The report noted what it described as \"credible reports\" that federal armed forces engaged in unlawful killings in Chechnya, as well as in politically motivated disappearances in Chechnya and Ingushetia. The study said federal and pro-Moscow Chechen forces, as well as Chechen resistance forces, violated the human rights of civilians, inflicting widespread civilian casualties, abductions, and other abuses. On the positive side, the report noted that the judiciary demonstrated greater independence in a number of cases, producing improvements in the criminal justice system. It said Russia also made progress in combating human trafficking. (RFE/RL)