Italian Premier Romano Prodi said he addressed the subject of human rights abuses during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
Speaking after talks in Rome, which focused mainly on trade, Prodi told reporters that he and Putin had discussed human rights issues, press freedom, and freedom of expression and association.
The leaders agreed on the fact these were "fundamental values" in society, the premier added.
Prodi declined to give further details about this aspect of his talks with the Russian president.
Questioned separately prior to Prodi's comments, Justice Minister Clemente Mastella said he didn't think human rights had been discussed during the talks.
The meeting came at a particularly awkward time for Prodi, who has come under growing pressure during recent days to address Russia's human rights record with Putin.
On Tuesday, the Council of Europe published a report alleging continuing violations in Russia's Chechen Republic, while the former Chechen health minister Umar Khanbiev arrived in Rome, claiming he had been tortured and asking Italy to grant him asylum.
In a press conference timed to coincide with the Prodi-Putin talks, Khanbiev, who has been in hiding from Russian forces since 2000, urged Italian politicians to speak plainly with Putin.
"They should tell the truth about the situation in Chechnya, particularly with regards to human rights," he said.
"That person [Putin] who is now welcomed in Italy and Europe as a democratic leader is the same person who is allowing genocide to continue across the Caucasus".
Khanbiev was one of many to urge Prodi to press Putin over Russia's alleged violations.
The Senate whip for the Communist Refoundation Party, Giovanni Russo Spena, said: "We hope Prodi raises the human rights violations, the arbitrary detentions and the summary executions that are being carried out across the North Caucasus region, particularly in Chechnya".
In an open letter to Prodi and Interior Minister Massimo D'Alema, the international human rights organization Amnesty International said: "In Chechnya in particular, those who commit human rights abuses go unpunished, while those who seek justice are greeted with death threats and intimidation from the authorities".
The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) on Tuesday made its third public statement on Chechnya.
"Resort to torture and other forms of ill-treatment by members of law enforcement agencies and security forces continues, as does the related practice of unlawful detentions," said the CPT, which is headed by an Italian, Mauro Palma, for the first time.
"Further, from the information gathered, it is clear that investigations into cases involving allegations of ill-treatment or unlawful detention are still rarely carried out in an effective manner; this can only contribute to a climate of impunity".
Although public statements by the CPT have no binding power, they carry considerable political weight and are not made lightly.
This is the CPT's third such statement regarding Chechnya, although the committee did point to some improvements since its first comment in July 2001.
Putin has said on numerous occasions that he is committed to fighting human rights abuses.
He has also accused the European Union and the US of instrumentalizing claims about the Chechen Republic, where he says he is fighting terrorists.
