November, 2009. Monthly Summary

In November, 2009, according to our data, not less than 10 people, including 2 fatalities, became victims of neo-Nazi and racist motivated violence. Beside Moscow, the incident took place in Omsk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and St. Petersburg. The most high profile murders, in all probability committed with a hate motive, were the ones on the antifascist Ivan Khutorskoj (Kostolom) and the Orthodox priest Daniil Sysoev. In comparison, in November, 2008, 6 people were murdered and not less than 28 injured.

In all, from the beginning of 2009, in 36 regions of Russia, not less than 54 people were murdered and not less than 294 were injured as a result of racist and neo-Nazi attacks. In the same period of time, in 2008, 105 people were murdered and not less than 449 injured.

In November, not less than 5 acts of vandalism were reported in 5 regions of Russia, 1 against each of Jewish and Muslim objects, and 3 graffiti actions which were in some way or another connected with the Russian March. In all, from the beginning of the year, we have registered not less than 91 acts of ideologically and racist motivated vandalism, including 9 arson attacks.

However, this statistics does not include arson attacks, attempted and perpetrated explosions committed by the ultra right-wingers out of ideological motives, because, in our opinion, it is not correct to define such acts as arson attacks on police stations, property of policemen or people of non-Slavic origin, or fake bombs, as :vandalism;. In November, not less than 2 episodes of this kind were reported: a fake bomb in the St. Petersburg underground and arson attack on a shop :Pivnyak; in Moscow. In all, from the beginning of the year, we have registered not less than 18 episodes of this sort in 7 regions of Russia.

Moreover, in late November, three statements by ultra right-wingers were published on the Internet, claiming responsibility for a series of crimes: 3 murders, an explosion at a St. Petersburg bus stop on November 25, a fake bomb in St. Petersburg subway on November 14, and the derailing of the Nevsky Express train on November 27. The Nevsky Express claim seems to be no more than empty bluster, while other claims, it seems, were made by someone either involved in the crimes or somehow connected with the perpetrators.

Traditionally, one of the high profile events of this month is the Russian March on November 4, organized by the ultra right-wing supporters all over the country. In 2009, rallies and marches took place in Moscow - where there were, as usual, several events organized by competing ultra right-wing groups, and in 12 other regions of Russia. In 3 more cases the ultra right-wingers either assumed events organized by somebody else, or claimed to had organized an event which was not reported by any other source of information.

The Federal List of Extremist Materials was enlarged on November 12 and 19, by paragraphs 450-454. By December 1, 2009, the list contains 454 paragraphs, 15 of which were included twice and one three times. The decisions to rate 6 other materials as extremist ones were cancelled by different courts.

In November, there were not less than 3 guilty verdicts for violent hate crimes, two in Moscow region and one in Voronezh, against 8 people. All of the accused were sentenced to various terms of imprisonments. In all, from the beginning of the year, there were 41 verdicts for violent hate crime against 125 people (including 27 people who got suspended sentences or were released from punishment for different reasons).

However, the most important event of the month became arrest of Nikita Tikhonov and Yevgenia Khasis who are suspected of murder of Stanislav Markelov and Anastassia Baburova.

There were 4 guilty verdicts for xenophobic propaganda in November, in Ivanovo, in Vladimir, in Kaliningrad and in Republic of Komi. 4 people were doomed, including one who got a suspended sentence and one who was released because of expiry of period of limitation.

In all, from the beginning of the year, there were 35 guilty verdicts for hate propaganda (article 282 of the Criminal Code) against 47 people, including 22 of them who got a suspended sentence and one who was released because of expiry of period of limitation.