Rights group challenges Russian version of war

By Conor Sweeney

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Human rights activists on Wednesday challenged Russia's estimate of the death toll from Georgia's assault on breakaway South Ossetia and rejected Moscow's assertion that the rebel capital had been destroyed.

"The damage is significant, especially in the city centre, and many houses hit were obviously not military targets -- houses, shops and the hospital. But I would not describe it as a city razed to the ground," Anna Neistat of Human Rights Watch said by phone from the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali.

Russia has put the death toll among South Ossetians from Georgia's attack last week at around 1,600 and cited this as justification for its massive military response, which routed Georgian forces. It has said the Georgian operation destroyed Tskhinvali.

"We have serious doubts about the numbers provided by the Russian authorities so far. The number of wounded and killed, just do not support each other, because the number of wounded is usually far larger than those killed," Neistat told Reuters.

"At this point, where the conflict is winding down, it is extremely irresponsible of the authorities to give these figures without evidence to support it."

Neistat and a colleague from the New York-based human rights group crossed into the Russian-controlled sector in South Ossetia from Georgian lines.

She said a doctor in the hospital had treated 273 wounded, who were mostly military, and spoke of 44 bodies being brought to the hospital, mostly civilian.

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