A leading Russian rights activist has been attacked by masked men in Grozny, pelted with eggs, paint, and a cake after he was evicted from the hotel he was staying in.

Igor Kalyapin, who heads the Committee to Prevent Torture, had traveled to Grozny to witness the latest proceedings against two Ukrainian men facing charges for allegedly fighting against Russian forces during the first Chechen war in 1996.

Late on March 16, Kalyapin was ordered to leave his hotel by the hotel's administrator, accompanied by armed men.

As Kalyapin stood on the sidewalk outside the hotel, an RFE/RL correspondent watched as around 15 masked men attacked him, throwing eggs, paint, some sort of powder on him, and punching and kicking him.

Kalyapin did not appear to be seriously injured.

The incident happened a week after a minibus belonging to the Committee to Prevent Torture and carrying activists and journalists traveling to Grozny was attacked by some 20 masked men with knives and clubs.

Some of the journalists' equipment was smashed or stolen.