Ramzan Kadyrov is to be inaugurated as Chechnya's new president in a ceremony in Grozny today. The 30-year-old Kadyrov, a former prime minister of the restive Russian republic, was approved to the post last month following the ouster of his predecessor, Alu Alkhanov.
Authorities have tightened security for the inauguration.
Rights campaigners have long accused Kadyrov's forces of human rights abuses including murder and kidnap.
Last month, the Council of Europe's Thomas Hammarberg said in he had found evidence of widespread torture by law enforcement officials in Chechnya.
Kadyrov rejected the charges, saying human rights abuses in Chechnya were a thing of the past.
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
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