Prosecutor General of Russia: “In 2007, 327 extremist crimes were identified in Russia”

On December 25, 2007, at a meeting with journalists, Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika announced that in 2007, 327 crimes of an “extremist” nature were identified in Russia. Compared to last year, the growth was 42%.

This is likely due to the expanded definition of extremism, which was established by amendments to the relevant law adopted by parliament.

The Prosecutor General noted that “issues of interethnic relations and extremism remained a pressing problem this year... “We have created a special department for combating extremism within the structure of the Prosecutor General’s Office. The same units are being created in the constituent entities of the Federation,” he said.

“On the one hand, it is good that the number of detected crimes is increasing, since this indicates the reaction of law enforcement agencies, on the other hand, it is bad, since apparently there is an increase in such crimes,” the prosecutor general noted.

The increase in the number of extremist manifestations is especially observed in St. Petersburg. The prosecutor of St. Petersburg raised the question of creating a special unit in the city's internal affairs bodies.

Sources

• In 2007, more than 300 extremist crimes were committed in Russia // Newsru.com. 2007. December 25.