The Duma Security Committee took up the topic of extremism

On May 16, the Security Committee of the State Duma held a round table on the problems of legislation and law enforcement in the field of countering extremism. The meeting was chaired by the Chairman of the Committee Vladimir Vasiliev. He also made an introductory report (see his summary ).

The participants were given preliminary proposals of the Committee on improving "anti-extremist" legislation (for the most part not very specific and clearly in need of further discussion) and law enforcement (here the main emphasis was placed on the problems of expertise).

Specific legislative innovations include:

• prohibition of public events if they are financed by extremist or terrorist organizations;

• administrative responsibility for trade in Nazi symbols;

• an increase in the maximum term under part 1 of article 282 of the Criminal Code from two to four years in prison;

• the introduction of a qualifying feature of the motive of hatred into the article "Hooliganism";

• preparation of a memo for judges, investigators, investigators and prosecutors on identifying signs of extremism and on organizing an examination;

• compiling and disseminating lists of recommended experts on the topic.

Deputy Prosecutor General Vladimir Kolesnikov delivered a fascinating co-report. Distracting from the text, he talked about history: "The Koran was written in our Scythian language. And who wrote the Bible? ..". Equally rhetorical were the questions about where the barrows in the south of England came from and where the rams came from in England in general.

In essence, however, V. Kolesnikov said that the law "On Counteracting Extremist Activity" has not brought clarity to the definition of the concept itself.

Kolesnikov considers extremism and terrorism in Russia, at least in part, to be the result of the intrigues of the West (they say, "they didn't succeed with the Orange Revolution", now they are trying differently).

Speaking about the threat of religious extremism, Kolesnikov reiterated the long-discussed idea of ​​making the registration of religious groups mandatory. (Rabbi Zinovy ​​Kogan supported him in this.)

Kolesnikov also had one small specific proposal - to make it possible to open a case on recognizing a material as extremist not only at the place of its publication, since such a place cannot always be established.

Bishop Feofan (Ashurkov) spoke of the need to introduce culturological courses on "traditional religions" in order to prevent religious extremism.

Having condemned "Russian fascism", the bishop urged not to go too far with talking about it, so as not to create the image of "fascist Russia" in the West.

Ep. Feofan is caused by the fact that in his diocese, in the Stavropol Territory, the indigenous, that is, ethnically Russian, population is being forced out by "enterprising people of a different nationality", albeit Russian citizens. The speaker sees this as a threat to the creation of a new Kosovo.

Chairman of the Duma Committee on Information Policy Valery Komissarov proposed to finance the propaganda of friendship between peoples in cultural production and increase the responsibility of the media for manifestations of xenophobia.

In contrast to Komisarov, Andrei Vulf, director of the Foreign Relations Department of the Ministry of Culture, said that it is necessary not to toughen the norms of laws, but to implement existing ones. He spoke about the need to overcome ethnic and religious stereotypes and develop intercultural dialogue.

Director of the SOVA Center A. Verkhovsky commented on the amendments to the legislation proposed by the Committee. He briefly repeated position , which is that the legislation in this area should not be tightened, but clarified, concretizing and even narrowing the scope of its application. SOVA's

Speakers were also Elena Galyashina (Department of Forensic Science of the Academy of Law), Alexander Brod (MBHR), Yevgeny Trofimov (Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Nationalities) and others.

Own inf.

Sources

• "United Russia" will achieve tougher punishment for extremism // Website of "United Russia". 2006. May 16.