Russia 'ignoring' burnings

Chechen authorities have burned more than two dozen houses in the past year to punish relatives of alleged rebels and the Kremlin has chosen to ignore the practice, a US rights group alleges.

Human Rights Watch counted 26 cases between June 2008 and last month in regions all over Chechnya.

The Russian Government had "overwhelmingly failed" to put a stop to the practice of house-burning, the report said.