On April 23, 2019, The Soviet and Post-Soviet Review, a peer-reviewed journal focusing on the history of the Soviet Union and its successor states, including Russia, released the special issue “Understanding Russia’s Anti-Extremism Law: Historical Contexts and Contemporary Consequences” (SPSR, Volume 46 Issue 2, April 2019) edited by Emily B. Baran and Zoe Knox.

The authors of the issue (Emily B. Baran, Zoe Knox, Ellie R. Schainker, Maria Kravchenko, Dmitry Dubrovsky, and Marat Shterin) explore the development, contemporary patterns, consequences and trends of the Russian anti-extremism legislation. They approach the subject from different angles, ranging from the evolving rhetoric of extremism in Russia and the law’s application to particular religious minority cases to the censorship of the online world and the politicized and partisan nature of the Russian legal system. While drawing out the contradictions, inconsistencies, and arbitrariness of the law's application and some unexpected continuities with earlier historical periods the authors show the law’s impact on democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in today’s Russia.

The article “Russian Anti-Extremism Legislation and Internet Censorship” by SOVA Center expert Maria Kravchenko focuses on the development of the Internet regulations related to anti-extremism norms and highlights the main features of the Russian law enforcement practices which address online.

SPSR Volume 46 Issue 2 is available here on subscription.

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The Soviet and Post-Soviet Review releases a special issue on Russia’s anti-extremism legislation