The response of Russian state institutions to racist violence and murder is generally weak and ineffective. The police and the justice authorities investigate very few cases and mostly put these under the heading of “hooliganism”. This leaves out the political motivation for much of the violence of the deeds. Existing laws against racially motivated violence such as articles 111.2e and 112.2e of the Russian Criminal Code are rarely invoked. Rachel Denber, assistant director of the Europe and Central Asia Desk of Human Rights Watch says that to treat violent, racist crimes as “hooliganism” not only covers their existence but also makes it more difficult to investigate them. Putin, under international pressure, has promised to push back the right-wing extremists. It has not happened. The number of prosecutions fell in 2007 despite an increase in violence during the same year. |
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