Racist violence not diminishing in Russia
- thinktank Interfax

Moscow, 16 October: About 50 people have died in Russia this year as a result of crimes triggered by ethnic hatred, human rights campaigners have said.
 
"A total of 436 people were injured, and 48 of them died," deputy director of the Sova
analytical centre Galina Kozhevnikova told Interfax today referring to survey data.
 
In her words, racist attacks were registered in 38 Russian regions this year and these were led
by Moscow, Moscow Region and St Petersburg.
 
Kozhevnikova said that during the same period last year 414 people suffered as a result of
xenophobic attacks, and 44 of them died.
 
Moreover, human rights activists registered about 60 acts of vandalism this year in Russia where xenophobia was the main motive, Kozhevnikova said. In particular, according to her
information, there were 15 attacks on Jewish sites this year, 14 on the religious sites of
Protestants of various denominations, five on Orthodox sites and four on Muslim ones.
 
A report focusing on xenophobia in Russia was presented in Moscow today by the Sova centre.
 
"The intensity of skinhead violence has not diminished and the activities of radical
right-wing groups, who are demonstrating their desire to provoke mass unrest and replicate the
Kondopoga incident in other regions of Russia, are diversifying," the report said among other things.
 
"However, for the first time in the past few years, the amendments introduced to the
anti-extremist legislation can be assessed as positive rather than negative. For the first time
in the existence of the law 'On countering extremist activity' the task of publishing a list
of extremist materials has started working. Furthermore, it is obvious that the persecution
of xenophobic propaganda has improved . The persecution of racist violence has not diminished either," experts from the Sova centre note.
 
"Unfortunately, at the same time the illegitimate use of anti-extremist legislation is being
retained and is even expanding for the oppression of the political opposition and even of
merely independent citizens," the report said.

 

 

 

 

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