On February 16, 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) recognized the trial of Nikita Tikhonov and Evgenia Khasis as unfair. The ECtHR considered that the jurors were biased in reaching their verdict. However, Strasbourg did not award compensation to the applicants. Tikhonov's sentence for the murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova is subject to review in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation after the entry into force of the ECHR decision.

In Udmurtia, a resident of Izhevsk received a two-year suspended sentence for posting on the VKontakte social network. In February 2021, the Supreme Court of the Udmurt Republic found a resident of Izhevsk guilty under Part 2 of Art. 280 of the Criminal Code (public calls for extremist activities) and part 1 of Art. 354.1 of the Criminal Code (rehabilitation of Nazism).

In St. Petersburg, an unknown young couple shot at a grocery store window with a Halal marker with an air pistol. On the evening of February 14, 2021, in St. Petersburg, an unknown young couple shot with an air gun a grocery store window with a Halal marker (products allowed in Islam, for example, without pork - ed.). The police filed against a young man (21 years old ) and girls (20 years old) a criminal case under Art. 213 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism).

The court in Sevastopol delivered a verdict in the case of the former witness in the case of Enver Seitosmanov. On February 15, 2021, the Nakhimovsky District Court of Sevastopol found Ruslan Bekirov guilty of knowingly giving false evidence (part 1 of article 307 of the Criminal Code) and sentenced him to 300 hours of compulsory labor. The initiation of the case became known in June 2020. In October of the same year, it was taken to court.

The following is our review of the primary and most representativeevents in misuse of Russia's anti-extremist legislation in January 2021. Lawmaking In January, a draft bill was introduced in the State Duma, under whichthe media will have to accompany references to organizations recognized asterrorist in Russia with an indication that their activities have beenprohibited. Failure to comply with this requirement is subject to fines.

The State Duma adopted a law on blocking illegal campaigning on the Internet. On February 16, 2021, the State Duma adopted in the second reading a bill that allows election commissions to make decisions on blocking illegal campaigning on the Internet. It was introduced in November 2020 and adopted on first reading in December. The third reading took place on 17 February.

The deputies propose to block unreliable accusations of crimes based on the statements of citizens. On February 16, 2021, State Duma deputies Sergei Boyarsky, Andrei Alshevsky, Valery Gazzaev and Igor Stankevich submitted a new bill on extrajudicial information on the Internet to the lower house of parliament.

The Kiev District Court of Simferopol arrested a married couple suspected of financing terrorism. On February 15, 2021, the Kiev District Court of Simferopol arrested a Muslim couple suspected of financing terrorism (Part 1.1 and Part 4 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code - financing of terrorism and organizing the financing of terrorism).

The State Duma introduced fines for mentioning "foreign agents" in media reports without indicating their status. On February 16, 2021, the State Duma adopted in the second and third readings a bill amending the Code of Administrative Offenses (CAO) related to "foreign agents". They should come into force on March 1. In the version of the bill adopted in the second reading, Art. 13.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses is supplemented with ch.

Yulia Kaganovich was fined 10,000 rubles under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code. On February 16, 2021, the Birobidzhansky District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region delivered a verdict in the case of 54-year-old Jehovah's Witness Yulia Kaganovich. She was found guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). She was sentenced below the lower limit of 10,000 rubles with a five-year installment plan.

In the Arkhangelsk region, a criminal case has been opened for anti-Semitic comments on a social network. In February 2021, a criminal case was initiated in the Arkhangelsk region under Part 1 of Art. 282 of the Criminal Code (inciting hatred) against a 52-year-old resident of the Kotlas district for anti-Semitic materials on the social network.

A resident of Kemerovo is accused of inciting hatred towards Russians. In February 2021, CO on The Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Kemerovo Region initiated a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code (incitement of hatred) to the Kirov district of the city of Kemerovo. In 2020, the Kirovsky District Court of Kemerovo fined 5,000 rubles.