Human rights workers in the Caucasus say there is growing evidence that Russian soldiers have been torturing hundreds of Chechens held in detention camps.

The inmates are among large numbers of people reportedly being arrested by the Russians in an effort to locate rebel fighters in the breakaway republic.

Captives who have been released have spoken of systematic beatings, mutilation, as well as rape and summary execution.

One man told the BBC he had been beaten with a hammer, and had heard a woman being raped in a nearby cell.

Human Rights Watch deputy director Rachel Denber says 400 people had been hauled off to detention centres from Grozny alone.

Russia, which denies the charges, has said it will appoint an international adviser to hear complaints on Chechnya.

The United Nations human rights commissioner, Mary Robinson, has strongly criticised Moscow for denying access to international observers.

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The Russian military is currently regrouping to launch a final assault on rebel strongholds in the Argun Gorge, south of the capital, Grozny.

Russian military officials say up to 8,000 rebels have sought refuge in the southern mountains, where they are reported to have no safe supply or escape routes.

The Kavkaz Centre news agency website, one of the few remaining sources of information from the rebel side, said Russian troops had tried to outflank the rebels in the gorge after a frontal attack failed.

Analysts say winter weather favours the Russians - who have the advantage of using high-powered long-distance weapons, like guided missiles, on the barren snow-covered slopes.

Russian military units have secured positions on strategic heights overlooking the Argun Gorge without encountering resistance, officers said in Duba-Yurt, 30km (20 miles) south of Grozny.

Federal forces were heading for Shatoi in the heart of the gorge, one of two southern ravines seen as vital for controlling the rugged south.

Deadline

The Russians are also seeking to establish control over the Vedeno Gorge to the east.

Although troops have been fighting rebels in some areas, the main Russian forces have been slow to move in, preferring first to weaken the rebels with air and artillery attacks. They took full control of Grozny two weeks ago.

Russian generals have vowed to crush any remaining resistance before the presidential elections on 26 March.

Victory in Chechnya would further boost the soaring popularity of acting President Vladimir Putin, the mastermind of the Chechnya campaign. He is already far ahead of his rivals with popularity ratings near 50%.

However, the commander of Russian forces in the north Caucasus, Colonel-General Viktor Kazantsev, has warned that Chechen rebels may try to mobilise their forces around 23 February, when Chechens commemorate the anniversary of mass deportations from their homeland during World War II.

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