Translated material
June 2010. Results of the month
In June 2010, there was a sharp decline in the number of racist and neo-Nazi motivated attacks: a girl from Yakutia suffered in Moscow, in the Yaroslavl region, a Krishnaite was beaten and in Yekaterinburg - Witness Jehovah. During the same period in 2009, 2 people died and 29 received wounds. Due to the natural delay in data collection, the current data for 2010 years do not reflect the real situation - the vast majority of incidents we began to learn with a delay of at least one or two months.
Since the beginning of the year, 19 people have been killed and 146 injured in 33 regions of Russia.
We deliberately did not include in the number of victims people who suffered at the hands of a group known as the "seaside guerrillas" who carried out attacks primarily on law enforcement officers in the Primorsky Territory. Despite the fact that it included ultra-rightists, to date we have not we can confidently assert or, conversely, deny that these attacks were motivated by ultra-right ideological attitudes. However, one cannot to note that this story not only received a powerful public outcry, but was also used to the maximum by neo-Nazi agitators for their own advertising. In June, a number of acts of vandalism were recorded, in involvement in which the ultra-right can be suspected. The most resonant of of them was an explosion near the doors of the Tver synagogue on June 20. In addition, there were desecrated a Muslim cemetery in Chelyabinsk and an Orthodox cross in place bookmarks of the temple in Penza. In June 2010, at least three indictments sentencing in cases of racist violence that included a hate motive: in Nizhny Novgorod, Izhevsk and Moscow region. 7 people were convicted in them, and 4 more were released from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. In total, since the beginning of the year, at least 41 a sentence for violent crimes in which a hate motive was taken into account. IN these trials, 144 people were convicted (including 50 - or released from punishment, or sentenced conditionally without additional sanctions). At least four sentences were handed down for xenophobic propaganda: in Volgograd, Izhevsk, Chelyabinsk and Yugra. 7 people were convicted in them, incl. 4 people - conditionally without additional sanctions.
And here is the repeated trial against the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Russian Transbaikalia" by Alexander Yaremenko, scheduled for June 2010, failed to complete: he hid from the court (the case of A. Yaremenko on charges of incitement to hatred was sent for retrial after The Trans-Baikal Regional Court overturned the 2009 conviction).
In total, since the beginning of 2010, for xenophobic propaganda under Art. 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (inciting hatred) was 26 sentences were handed down, under Art. 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (calls for extremist activities) - 4 sentences, and one sentence, in which both of these articles. In these trials, 32, 4 and 1 people were convicted respectively (incl. 22 people - conditionally without additional sanctions). Let's note two more verdicts handed down in June. First, there was a man who attempted to blow up one of the churches in Vladimir was punished. He was convicted not only for inciting hatred (Part 1 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), but also for hooliganism motivated by hatred (clause “b” part 1 of article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and illegal trafficking explosives (part 1 of article 223 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). And in Kurgan a sentence was passed for desecration of a mosque according to a rather rare part 2 of Art. 214 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (vandalism based on hate). Usually such crimes law enforcement agencies for some reason qualify under Art. 282. In June 2010, the Federal List of Extremist material was updated only once. It included paragraphs. 618-621. Only in June 2010 was the decision finally confirmed on the ban on the "Strike of the Russian Gods" (p. 289), included in the list back in November 2008. On the other hand, the decision to recognize the UfaGub website as extremist was canceled. (n. 373). Thus, as of June 30, out of 621 positions, 33 duplicate each other, 5 are in the list illegally, because decisions to recognize them extremist were canceled, and one position was cancelled. The most important development in the regulatory and legal sphere was adoption and publication of the Decree of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Russia of June 15, 2010 "On the practice of application by the courts of the Law of the Russian Federation "On the Mass Media". The resolution, in particular, is intended to protect the media from the growing practice of persecution of mass media on anti-extremist grounds - for comments readers on an Internet forum, for quoting certain statements, etc.
And here The Constitutional Court of Russia did not accept for consideration the complaint in which a request was made to clarify the legal meaning of the concept of "social group". This certainly stimulates the continuation of the practice of free and excessively wide interpretation of this concept by the law enforcement officer. For example, in June 2010 a criminal case was initiated under Art. 282 for inciting hatred of social group "police" - this time on the fact of publication in the newspaper "Vechernyaya Ryazan". The practice of misuse continues anti-extremist legislation.
So, in June, a bill was adopted in the first reading, significantly expanding the powers of the FSB in the field of administrative prosecution for "extremist" activities. In particular, the bill to date looks like a tool of frank intimidation of opposition public activists, exerting pressure on them without the possibility in any way resist this pressure.
Anti-extremist legislation continues be used as a tool to limit freedom of conscience. Yes, it goes on widespread pressure on the followers of Jehovah's Witnesses. In addition, in June became aware of the mass recognition of extremist religious literature followers of Ron Hubbard, which opens up opportunities for persecution followers of this doctrine.
Persecution continues - criminal, administrative, and even completely "informal" - opposition public activists, primarily queue - National Bolsheviks. Same article in other threads: