Geneva ? A U.N. anti-torture panel said Friday it had credible reports of unofficial detention centers, abuse and disappearances in Russia’s restive southern province of Chechnya.

In a 12-page report on Russian compliance with a global ban on prisoner abuse, the U.N. Committee Against Torture said it had “reliable reports of unofficial places of detention in the North Caucasus,” where security forces are trying to quell Muslim separatists.

The committee, comprised of 10 independent experts, said it had learned of “allegations that those detained in such facilities face torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.”

Russian officials have disputed abuse accusations in the past.