Seminar "Legal counteraction to extremism" in St. Petersburg

On May 17, 2016, a seminar was held in St. Petersburg within the framework of the project "Legal countering extremism, including on the Internet: monitoring emerging problems and working out ways to solve them", organized by the Information and Analytical Center "Sova" with the support of Commissioner for Human Rights in St. Petersburg.

The event took place in the office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in St. Petersburg. The seminar was opened by the Commissioner for Human Rights in St. Petersburg Alexander Shishlov. « Exchange expert opinions, analysis of law enforcement practice, qualifications and investigation of hate crimes contribute to the identification the true causes of manifestations of extremism, stimulate society to move to a new civilized level ,” the Ombudsman said.

Member Development Council under the President of the Russian Federation Civil Society and Human Rights – Director information and analytical center "Sova" Alexander Verkhovsky made a speech with the presentation “International law and national criminal Legislation of the OSCE countries against hate speech. Main problems and approaches". Expert of the SOVA Center Natalia Yudina made a presentation “Russian practice of persecution of racist and xenophobic statements, in particular on the Internet. Representatives of the SOVA center reported on issues of “abuse in the anti-extremist law enforcement."

Associate Professor of the Department also spoke at the seminar of the judiciary HSE Viktor Mikhailov with a report on the topic "Problems recognition of materials as extremist cannot be solved by the protection of individual religious texts. Lawyer of the St. Petersburg Public human rights organization "Civil Control" Olga Startseva with presentation on the topic “Experience in monitoring trials in St. Petersburg". The deputy of the Legislative meeting of St. Petersburg Boris Vishnevsky with the report "Incitement of hatred and hatred: a punishable act or the realization of freedom of speech?

The presentations were followed by a discussion.

In addition to those listed, the seminar was attended by: Secretary of the Human Rights Council of St. Petersburg Natalia Evdokimova , Head of the Analytical Department of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights person in St. Petersburg Olga Pokrovskaya, member of the Advisory Council under the Commissioner for Human Rights in St. Petersburg, lawyer Ivan Pavlov , chairman of the St. Petersburg public human rights organization "Civil Control" Elena Shakhova, Chairman of the Council of the Russian LGBT Network Tatyana Vinnichenko, senior researcher at the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography named after Peter of the Great Russian Academy of Sciences Valentina Uzunova, head of the rights group national minorities in the St. Petersburg Union of Scientists David Raskin, Executive Director of the Center for Independent Sociological Research Oksana Karpenko.

Sources

• Own inf.