February, 2010. Monthly Summary

In February, 2010, at least 26 people, including 4 fatalities, became victims of racist and neo-Nazi attacks. (In February, 2009, at least 26 people, including 2 fatalities, became victims.)

Violent hate attacks were recorded in Moscow (2 dead, 3 injured), St. Petersburg (not less than 5 injured), Barnaul (1 dead, 3 injured), Veliky Novgorod and Pokrov in Vladimir region (2 injured in each), Nizhny Novgorod (1 dead and 5 injured), Izhevsk and Irkutsk (1 injured in each). As a whole, according to the SOVA Center's data, there are at least 7 people dead and no less than 39 injured from the beginning of the year.

In February, 2010, not less than 3 guilty verdicts (in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Ufa) were issued for violent hate crimes, 16 people were convicted; two of them received suspended sentences without any supplementary sanctions. The jury didn't consider the guilt of three more accused (the "White Wolves' group case, Moscow) to be evident. It should be noted that the "White Wolves' group case is the first successful one for the "Russian Verdict' project aimed at legal and financial support of accused or imprisoned neo-Nazis. The "Russian Verdict's' tactics remains the same which means discrediting both investigation agencies and court as well as promoting publications threatening the participants of proceedings who represent the state, etc. As a whole, from the beginning of the year not less than 5 guilty verdicts have been issued with hate motive acknowledged; 27 people have been convicted.

At least 5 sentences were passed in February, 2010, for xenophobic propaganda, in Buryatia and Komi Republics, in St. Petersburg, Kostroma, and Voronezh. 7 people were convicted; six of them received suspended sentences without supplementary sanctions. Only Konstantin Dushenov, an editor and publisher of anti-Semitic paper "Rus Pravoslavnaya' in St. Petersburg, received a real penalty. He was also deprived of the right to publishing for three years (we consider this penalty to be the most adequate for xenophobic propagators though it is very seldom applied).

In February, 2010, Russia's Supreme Court rendered decisions banning two organizations. On February 1, National-Socialist Society, an ultra-rightists' umbrella organization with many members now prosecuted for racist murders, violent crimes, and terrorist attacks, was found extremist as a result of a suit by Prosecutor General's office. Also, on February 25, Dokka Umarov's "Imarat Kavkaz' ("The Caucasian Emirate'), a self-proclaimed virtual state entity, was found a terrorist organization. Unfortunately, the texts of both decisions haven't been published yet.

The Federal List of Extremist Materials was enlarged on February 3 and 27 and grew from 474 to 493 items.