A HUMAN rights lawyer who fought against the early release of a Russian colonel convicted of murdering a Chechen woman was shot dead on a Moscow street yesterday, days after the officer left prison, law enforcement authorities said.

A lawyer who opposed the early release of a Russian colonel convicted of killing a Chechen woman was shot dead after a press conference in central Moscow today.

A Russian colonel was jailed for 10 years today for kidnapping and murdering a Chechen woman.

At least seven civilians have been shot dead in the Chechen capital Grozny, Russian officials said today, blaming the attacks on insurgents seeking to stoke violence in the rebel republic.