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Rights observance vital to order in Chechnya - rights activist

MOSCOW. Jan 3 (Interfax) - Observing human rights in Chechnya is crucial to restoring order in the republic, Moscow Helsinki Group head Lyudmila Alexeyeva told Interfax.

"If all problems in the area of protecting human rights are resolved, the pace at which Chechnya is being restored will accelerate," Alexeyeva said. "First of all, it is necessary to ensure that security agencies act in compliance with the law and observe the constitutional rights of the republic's population," she said.

The process of reviving Chechnya's social sector has scored a number of successes recently, Alexeyeva said.

"Schools have been opened in all the districts of the republic, which is very important. Hospitals are being repaired across the republic. Many Chechen residents have started to repair their own houses, in spite of the fact that few people have received compensation for destroyed houses and property. People are tied of poor living standards. They want to live a normal life," she said.

Abductions of civilians remain a major problem facing human rights activists working in Chechnya, she said. The Memorial human rights organization has put the number of residents kidnapped in Chechnya in 2004 at 384.

"Of them, 182 people have been freed, 22 have been found dead, and 173 are still listed as missing. Another seven people, who were previously listed as missing, are under investigation," Memorial spokesman Dmitry Grushkin said.