Xenophobia, Freedom of Conscience and Anti-Extremism in Russia in 2019
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A collection of annual reports Xenophobia, Freedom of Conscience and Anti-Extremism in Russia in 2019 SOVA Center for Information and Analysis Moscow, 2020 УДК. 323.1(470+571)(082.1)"2019" ББК. 66.094я43+66.3(2Рос),54я43 Table of Contents X44 X44 Xenophobia, Freedom of Conscience and Anti-Extremism in Russia Natalia Yudina in 2019: A collection of annual reports by the SOVA Center for Infor- Criminal Activity of the Ultra-Right. mation and Analysis [Kravchenko Maria, Sibireva Olga, Yudina Natalia Hate Crimes and Counteraction to Them in Russia in 2019 ...................6 / Ed. by Verkhovsky Alexander] – Moscow: SOVA Center, 2020. – 132 Summary....................................................................................................................................6 pp.: tables, graphs Systematic Racist and Neo-Nazi Violence ........................................................7 Attacks Against “Ethnic Outsiders” .................................................................. 10 ISBN 978-5-98418-050-4 Attacks against the LGBT ..........................................................................................13 Attacks against Ideological Opponents ..........................................................14 This collection of reports summarizes all the major areas of work addressed by Other Attacks ...................................................................................................................15 the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis in 2019. Crimes against Property ................................................................................................16 Traditionally, we are presenting our annual reports on problems with realizing the Criminal Prosecution for Violence ....................................................................... 18 right to freedom of conscience and the principle of state secularism, and on misuse Criminal Prosecution for Crimes against Property ......................................21 of measures to counteract whatever falls under the definition of “extremism”. Starting from 2017, instead of one large report, devoted to radical national- Natalia Yudina ism, hate crimes, and the efforts by the state and the society to counteract these In the Absence of the Familiar Article. The State Against phenomena, this collection contains two reports: the first one covers the sub- the Incitement of Hatred and the Political Participation ject of hate crimes and counteraction to them, the second one discusses other of Nationalists in Russia in 2019 ...........................................................................22 aspects of anti-extremist policies (besides those described in the above-men- Summary.................................................................................................................................22 tioned reports). Criminal Prosecution .....................................................................................................23 The reports are updated versions of original texts on the SOVA Center website. For Public Statements ................................................................................................24 The appendix provides details about hate crimes and the prosecution of “ex- For Participation in Extremist Communities tremist crimes”. All data were compiled at February 24, 2020. and Banned Organizations......................................................................................33 Federal List of Extremist Materials ......................................................................35 This collection was compiled and published with the support The Banning of Organizations as Extremist ..................................................37 of by European Union, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and Other Administrative Measures .............................................................................39 Norwegian Helsinki Committee. Prosecution for Administrative Offences .....................................................39 SOVA Center expresses its gratitude to all the donors and points out that re- The Blocking of Online Resources and Internet Censorship ...........43 sponsibility for the content of the reports lies with their authors. On December 30, 2016, the Ministry of Justice forcibly included SOVA Cen- Maria Kravchenko ter on the list of “non-profit organizations performing the functions of a foreign Inappropriate Enforcement of agent”. We disagree with this decision and have filed an appeal against it. Anti-Extremist Legislation in Russia in 2019 ................................................47 Summary.................................................................................................................................47 Lawmaking ........................................................................................................................... 48 The SOVA Center website, which in- The Practice of the European Court of Human Rights ............................53 cludes publications and news, Principal Targets of Persecution .............................................................................55 can be found at http: //sova-center.ru Ideological Opponents of the Regime ...........................................................55 © Authors, 2020 – report texts Prosecutions for “Rehabilitation of Nazism”. .........................................56 Prosecutions for Incitement to Extremist Activities ........................56 Favorable Resolutions ..........................................................................................116 Prosecutions for Calls for Separatism ......................................................... 57 Protecting the Feelings of Believers ...................................................................117 Prosecutions for “Justifying Terrorism” ....................................................... 57 Protection from the Top ......................................................................................117 Other Prosecutions for Anti-Government Statements ...................59 Protection from Below ........................................................................................118 Prosecutions for Anti-Government Group Initiatives .................... 60 Fight for “Traditional Values” ......................................................................... 120 Side Effects of the Fight for Tolerance ...........................................................62 Insufficient Protection against Defamation and Attacks ......................121 Abusing Legal Norms on Incitement to Hatred ...................................62 Violence and Vandalism ......................................................................................121 Sanctions for Display of Extremist Symbols ......................................... 68 Defamation of Religious Minorities ...........................................................123 Fight against Insults to the Feelings of Religious Believers ........ 69 Religious Groups ............................................................................................................71 Crime and punishment statistics .........................................................................126 Hizb ut-Tahrir ...............................................................................................................71 Statistics of Racist and Neo-Nazi Attacks ....................................................126 Tablighi Jamaat ............................................................................................................76 Statistics of Ideologically Motivated Attacks Faizrakhmanists .........................................................................................................76 against Property ............................................................................................................. 128 Said Nursi Readers ....................................................................................................77 Guilty Verdicts for “Crimes of an Extremist Nature” .............................. 130 Jehovah’s Witnesses ...............................................................................................78 Administrative Sanctions for Distributing Religious Literature ................................................................................................ 81 Sanctions against Libraries .....................................................................................82 The Internet and Anti-Extremism ..................................................................... 83 Blocking Practices .................................................................................................. 83 Other Sanctions .......................................................................................................85 Mass Media and Anti-Extremism ...................................................................... 86 A Bit of Statistics ..............................................................................................................87 Olga Sibireva Freedom of Conscience in Russia: Restrictions and Challenges in 2019 ..........................................................................................................94 Summary.................................................................................................................................94 Legislation ...........................................................................................................................96