47 Military Brought To Justice During Operation In Chechnya

47 military who committed illegal actions against civilians have been brought to trial since the beginning of the anti-terrorist operation in Chechnya. They have been sentenced to different terms, from conditional ones to 18 years in prison. This was said by Prosecutor of Chechnya Vsevolod Chernov at a Grozny conference Wednesday held by Joint Group Commander Vladimir Moltenskoi. According to Chernov, the convicts' ranks vary from a that of a private to colonel. The prosecutor's office has started legal proceedings on 103 cases against the military over the period of the anti-terrorist operation in Chechnya, said Chernov. The prosecutor emphasized the law-enforcement bodies would examine all appeals from citizens and investigate all cases. The investigators' work was rather complicated. Sometimes witnesses deny their testimony which causes protraction of the investigation process. He thinks that these peculiarities should prompt to create new methods of work with witnesses that would guarantee their anonymousness and safety.