Russia Moves Against "Political Extremists"

by Sergei Blagov

The bill passed its first reading in the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, on June 6 with 271 votes in favor and 141 against.

Russian authorities have been expressing concern over extremist threats for some time now, particularly in the wake of a series of anti-Semitic incidents. President Vladimir Putin said in his State of the Nation address in April that the police lack effective powers to tackle organized neo-Nazi gangs and others.

However, critics say the definition of "extremism" is overly broad and vague, covering a wide range of activities aimed at violent seizure of power, terrorism, incitement of ethnic and religious hatred, and hindering the legitimate activities of authorities.

The bill says advocacy of "legitimate rights and freedoms" does not amount to extremism if such campaigns or protests are carried out within the law.

The bill gives courts the power to outlaw an organization classified as "extremist." Official agencies can suspend the activities of the organization pending a court decision.

The bill gives the government powers to combat dissemination of extremist ideas in the media and on the Internet. Media promoting what the government considers extremism can be shut down.

The government will have new powers if the bill is finally passed, to deal with financing of extremist organizations. Authorities will have the power to confiscate their property.

The Russian branches of foreign organizations, including non-governmental organizations and religious groups, can also be closed down if they are found to be engaged in "extremist" activity. Russia's civil and criminal codes and its laws on religions and social organizations would be amended.

The new legislation provides for the creation of a federal commission to combat extremism. The commission would keep a database of suspected extremist organizations.

Justice Minister Yuri Chaika who introduced the bill in parliament says Russia needs the law to plug legal loopholes that extremists are taking advantage of.

But the bill gives the government sweeping powers, opponents say. Among these would be the power to disband any non-governmental organization holding an unauthorized protest, critics say.

The bill does not meet international standards because it is "significantly different" from laws against extremism in other countries, says Valentin Gefter, head of the Human Rights Institute in Moscow. The proposed law, he said, can be used against legitimate dissent.

Opponents of the bill argue that existing legislation is sufficient to combat extremism. The difficulty lies with loose enforcement of the existing laws, they say. The vague definition of extremism means that authorities could declare any opposition group such as striking workers or protesting environmentalists to be "extremists," they say.

"I do not believe that the bill constitutes an attempt to combat extremism," says Communist lawmaker Valentin Romanov. He called the bill an "ill-intentioned" attempt by the government to impose total control over society. Independent deputy Sergei Yushenkov says the bill is intended to combat critics, not extremists.

Human rights activists say the situation within Russia is bad enough. Oleg Mironov who handles complaints to the Russian government over human rights abuses says in his report for 2001 that his office received more than 30,000 complaints last year.

An example of how widely new powers could be used came as the bill was being debated last week. The bill defines "extremism" broadly enough to cover even football riots.