MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia has serious problems with its rights record, including a rise in homophobic violence, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released on Tuesday, ahead of the country hosting the Winter Olympics next month.

"Many serious problems plague Russia's rights record," Ms Tanya Lokshina, Russia's programme director at HRW was quoted as saying in a statement. In the report, the New York-based group highlighted "homophobic rhetoric in state media" and a rise in anti-gay attacks.