Are fighters against extremism extorting money from Muslim communities?

As it became known on January 9, 2012, the FSB submitted for verification to the Prosecutor General's Office materials about extortion at the Lefortovo market in Moscow on December 28, 2011. According to the Kommersant publication, the FSB received information according to which on December 28 a group of police officers appeared at the Lefortovo market, including including the deputy head of the main department for countering extremism (GUPE) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, police colonel Sergei Minaev, the head of the department for countering religious extremism, police colonel Valery Ballo, his deputy, lieutenant colonel Anatoly Tsai, and several operatives of this department. Under the pretext of conducting an inspection, they suspended the work of the market and demanded that traders collect a million rubles for the opportunity to resume work. The traders collected only half of this amount, which, however, satisfied the police, and they left. The police claim that the purpose of their visit to the market was “to check operational information about the existence there, under the guise of a prayer room, of an illegal extremist cell that was conducting illegal propaganda among Muslims from among market traders, as well as Tajik workers from neighboring construction sites." During the inspection, they found religious literature and more than 600 thousand rubles in the market premises, which were returned to the found owner a few days later. However, the seizure of the money was not procedurally formalized, and the leaders of the Muslim community of the market, although they confirmed the fact of their return, secured security guarantees from the FSB, they wrote an official statement about extortion to the Prosecutor General's Office. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation confirmed to Kommersant that the Prosecutor General's Office is conducting an investigation against several employees of the GUPE. The SOVA Center considers it necessary to note with regret that recently there have been more and more reports of unlawful and illegal actions of police officers whose duties include the fight against extremism .

Sources

• Nikolay Sergeev. The police entered the house of worship. The security officers suspected them of extortion // Kommersant newspaper. 2012. January 10.