Amnesty International:

"Continuing abuses against civilians

Reports of inter-ethnic reprisal attacks by various sides were a feature of the conflicts in Georgia in the early 1990s over the same disputed territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The first signs of such ethnic targeting have now been reported, including the burning of ethnic Georgian villages in the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

In Russia, there have been unconfirmed reports of Georgians being the targets of violent attacks in North Ossetia and in Moscow. On 11 August a cafe called 'Georgian cuisine' was reported to have been set on fire in Nazran, Ingushetia. Previous heightened tensions between Georgia and Russia have also led to the detention and deportation of Georgians from the Russian Federation in 2006.

Looting has also been reported in South Ossetia, and in the town of Gori and surrounding villages in Georgia proper.

Amnesty International is particularly concerned at the apparent formation in and around South Ossetia of irregular, locally-organized armed groups able to act with impunity, increasing the potential dangers for civilians."