October, 2009 Monthly Summary

In October, 2009, not less than 12 people, including a fatality, became victims of racist and neo-nazi motivated violence in Russia. Besides Moscow, such incidents took place in Kirov and Sverdlovsk regions. In October, 2008, 7 people were murdered and not less than 20 more injured.

In all, from the beginning of the year in 36 regions of Russia, as a result of racist and neo-nazi motivated attacks, not less than 50 people were murdered and not less than 280 were injured. In the same period of time, in 2008, 99 people died and not less than 399 were injured.

In October, not less than 5 acts of vandalism took place in 4 regions of Russia. In all, from the beginning of the year we have registered not less than 83 cases of ideologically and racially motivated vandalism, including 9 arson attacks.

In particular, there were 34 cases of ideologically motivated vandalism, 20 anti-Jewish actions, 13 anti-Orthodox, 6 anti-Muslim, 4 anti-Armenian, 4 anti-Protestant and one episode against each of Catholic and New Religious Movements' buildings.

In October, the Federal List of the Extremist Materials was enlarged 3 times (on October 5, 28 and 30) by paragraphs 432-449. Thus by November, 1 the Federal List consists of 449 paragraphs 15 of which were included twice and one three times. The decisions to rate 6 of those 15 materials as extremist ones were cancelled by different courts.

In October, there were not less than 4 guilty verdicts issued for violent hate crimes, 2 in Moscow, one in Moscow region and one in Orenburg. 15 people were convicted, 2 of them were released from their punishment due to reconciliation of the sides in the court. In all, from the beginning of the year maximum of guilty verdicts in history has been reached, namely 38 trials related to racist violent crimes were ended so. 117 people were convicted, including 27 who got suspended sentences or were released from punishment for different reasons. The preceding maximum was 36 guilty verdicts for violent hate crimes issued over the whole year in 2008.

There were 3 guilty verdicts for xenophobic propaganda against 4 people in Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk and St. Petersburg in October.

In all, from the beginning of the year, there were 32 guilty verdicts for xenophobic propaganda (article 282 of the Criminal Code) against 44 people, including 20 who got suspended sentences.

The prevailing phenomenon in the field of unlawful implementation of the anti-extremist legislation is the persecution of Jehovah Witnesses in different parts of Russia.