Human rights organisations have issued a joint statement condemning what they say are widespread abuses in the Russian republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia. The groups - including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch - say that despite Moscow\'s claims to have normalised the situation in the north Caucasus, the cycle of violence there continues. The Kremlin says that life in Chechnya is gradually returning to normal, but human rights organisations tell a very different story. They have provided new evidence of rape, torture and summary execution of Chechen civilians by Russian troops and an increasingly powerful militia commanded by the son of Chechnya\'s pro-Moscow president, Ahmad Kadyrov. And the violence is now reported to be spreading from Chechnya to neighbouring Ingushetia. Anna Neistat, from Human Rights Watch said: \"Over the last three months, we\'ve documented a number of abductions and disappearances on the territory of Ingushetia as well as several attacks against civilians resulting in either deaths or serious injuries. \"Just like in Chechnya, the perpetrators of these abuses go unpunished and there is no accountability whatsoever.\" (BBC)