The Supreme Court of Russia, following a lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Justice, has recognized a certain “Anti-Russian Separatist Movement” and its “structural divisions” as an “extremist organization.” This was reported by a Mediazona correspondent from the courtroom.
The court hearing was held behind closed doors; journalists were only allowed in to attend the announcement of the decision.
This demand became known on April 26 from a press release from the department. In it, the "organization" is described as "an international public movement to destroy the multinational unity and territorial integrity of Russia." OVD-Info and other human rights activists and journalists were unable to find confirmation that such a "movement" exists or ever existed.
According to experts from the Sova research center, this is a “flexible” ban: by recognizing a non-existent organization as “extremist,” security forces gain the opportunity to prosecute activists or ordinary citizens who, in one way or another, advocate for the decolonization of Russia or discuss regionalist ideas under “extremist” articles.
“We believe that such a ban will endanger not only separatists who advocate the separation of certain regions from Russia by military means, but also those who exclusively conduct peaceful discussions about the status of a particular territory and even about expanding its rights, including cultural ones, within Russia,” writes Sova.
It is not yet known which specific “structural divisions” the Ministry of Justice is referring to: information about this should be contained in the lawsuit, which is not available to journalists.
- In recent years, the Ministry of Justice has repeatedly demanded that "movements" with an unspecified circle of participants, often not formally connected to each other, be recognized as "extremist." At the end of November last year, the Supreme Court called the "International LGBT Movement" such, allegedly operating in Russia "since 1984," and later the "interregional public movement" "I/We Sergey Furgal," consisting of supporters of the convicted former governor of the Khabarovsk Territory Sergey Furgal, was recognized as an "extremist organization." At the same time, the participants in the actions for the release of the former governor have never organized into a separate formal movement. Back in 2020, the AUE subculture — "prisoner criminal unity" — was declared an "extremist organization." According to the Prosecutor General's Office, this is a "youth movement of an extremist orientation," whose participants organize "mass riots."
- Persecution for "connections" with "extremist organizations" can be carried out both within the framework of administrative and criminal proceedings. OVD-Info published instructions on how to protect yourself from such persecution.