Leader of Russia's Chechnya pledges to ban rights activists

FILE PHOTO: Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov attends the Victory Day parade, marking the 73rd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in the Chechen capital of Grozny, Russia May 9, 2018. REUTERS/Said Tsarnayev

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Chechnya's leader has pledged to ban human rights activists from the Russian region, after being repeatedly accused of overseeing systematic rights abuses.

Addressing law enforcement officers in a video released on Thursday, Kadyrov said he would impose "sanctions" against rights advocates because they were "preventing our people from living in peace".