Unlawful anti-extremism in May 2012

We publish a review of the main and most significant events in the field of misuse of anti-extremist legislation in Russia in May 2012.Criminal prosecution

In May 2012, known cases of illegal criminal prosecution affected mainly the followers of various religious groups that the Russian authorities consider socially dangerous, despite the fact that they are not associated with the practice or promotion of violence.

At the end of the month in Astrakhan, a court sentenced one from local residents to 1.5 years in prison with serving in a colony-settlement according to part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of the activities of an extremist organization) and four more - to a large fine under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in activities extremist organization), finding them guilty of spreading ideas banned religious association Tablighi Jamaat.

In early May, it became known that the criminal case according to part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code was initiated in the village of Kosh-Agach of the Altai Republic. Under imam was suspected of organizing a Tablighi Jamaat cell local Muslim organization and the imam of the Tashanti mosque.

In mid-May, a criminal case on a similar suspicion under the same article was initiated against a resident of Orenburg.

On the same days a similar article, a case was initiated against a follower of Tablighi Jamaat" in Kansk (Krasnoyarsk Territory).

In Bashkiria, in the middle of the month, a criminal case under Part 1 and Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code against five residents of the city of Tuimazy and the villages of Gafurovo, who are suspected of involvement in the activities of the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, recognized as terrorist in Russia.

In early May, it became known about the excitement criminal case under Part 1 of Art. 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (inciting hatred or enmity) according to the fact of the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Orenburg and the Orenburg Region.

May in Bashkiria trial resumed in the case of five bloggers who are accused of participating in creation of the site "Ufa provincial" recognized as extremist and violation of several "extremist" articles of the Criminal Code at once. Case has been under investigation since August 2009. In February 2011, the Leninsky District Court Ufa returned the case to the prosecutor's office due to gross procedural violations in indictment. However, in April 2011 the Supreme Court of the Republic Bashkortostan canceled the decision of the district court, obliging it to return to consideration of the case.

On May 15, 2012, another participant in the seizure of the reception of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow was detained 2008, the criminal case on the fact of which was recently reopened, the activist Party "Other Russia" Mikhail Klyuzhev. Him, like the other two participants those actions, over which the trial has been going on since April, are accused under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in participation in the activities of the banned NBP.

Administrative persecution

In the middle of May blogger Sergey Reshetnev from Gorno-Altaisk was sentenced to a fine of 500 rubles. according to part 1 of Art. 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (propaganda and public demonstration of Nazi paraphernalia or symbols). The reason was that in February 2012 Reshetnev posted on on your page on the VKontakte network, a series of photographs with images Adolf Hitler and Nazi symbols, drawing a parallel between the style guides of the mayor of the city and the practice of the Third Reich. Recall that the current legislation does not take into account the purpose for which the Nazi symbolism, so a person can be fined for displaying it outside depending on whether he promoted Nazism.

At the end of the month it became it is known that the director of the Central Library System of the city of Shakhta Rostovskaya region was found guilty of an administrative offense under Art. 20.29 Code of Administrative Offenses (storage for the purpose of mass distribution of texts included in published federal list of extremist materials) and fined 2000 r. The reason for initiating proceedings against the librarian was that in the fund of the library system in free access were recognized as extremist materials: two copies of the book by Joseph Goebbels "The Diaries of 1945. Recent Recordings" and three copies of "Table Talk Hitler" by Henry Picker. Recall that the legislation on librarianship is not provides for a mechanism for any filtering of funds, thereby making librarians are easy targets in the "fight against extremism."

Prohibition of materials for extremism

IN May, several high-profile and, from our point of view, illegal processes developed on the recognition of materials as extremist.

Naberezhnye Chelny the city court refused to consider the case on the recognition of 13 materials of Scientologists as extremist, which was returned there for a new trial by the Supreme Court of the Republic Tatarstan. During the hearing, the court came to the conclusion that the hearing of the case on recognition of materials as extremist in a special production, that is, without defendant, is unacceptable, and refused the prosecutor to consider the application.

In the Lublin district court of Moscow began a new trial of the case on the recognition of an extremist T-shirt with slogan "Orthodoxy or death!", which was returned there Moscow City Court. The court heard the opinions of the experts.

federal arbitration the Moscow District Court upheld the ban of Roskomnadzor for distribution in Russia of Jehovah's Witnesses magazines "Awake!" and Watchtower, confirming the decision of the Ninth Arbitration court of appeal.

police brutality

In Tyumen Investigative committee reviews the legality of police actions, including an employee of the local Center for Combating Extremism, who detained on May 12 on suspicion of possession of drugs local civil activist Nikolai Lambina, administrator of the VKontakte group Tyumen vs. electoral fraud" and special correspondent of the local newspaper "Word of the people". Lambin claims the cops planted the drugs on him accompanying these actions with beatings and threats.

In May we became known about a number of cases of unlawful seizure of copies of printed materials under the pretext of testing them for extremism, while for a few copies would suffice for the examination. This method is all often used to prevent the spread of opposition materials.

May 3 at Voronezh police inspected the cars of the participants of the all-Russian action "Rally-2012: from Kamchatka to Moscow" and withdrew all promotion flyers.

May 4 in Yaroslavl were detained 18 residents of Tyumen, Solikamsk and Khanty-Mansiysk, who were traveling through this city to Moscow on the "March of Millions", scheduled for May 6, they have More than 3,000 leaflets and newspapers were confiscated.

May 19 2012 in Stavropol, police officers under the pretext of checking for extremism confiscated two hundred leaflets from activists of the local White Ribbon movement "When our TV is silent..." about election fraud and dispersal of the May protests.