§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What information the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission in Grozny has about the number of Russians held by Chechnya combatants, and of Chechens by the Russian authorities; and what access to the detainees on either side has been granted to the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC).
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyThe OSCE through the assistance group is following the question of detainees as closely as possible, but it does not have sufficient information to draw up precise figures. The ICRC have visited 500 Chechen detainees and 200 Russian detainees—this represents numbers visited not total held. The ICRC further reports that, apart from occasional administrative difficulties, they have, generally, been granted full access.