Amnesty International concerned over xenophobia boost in Russia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Amnesty International is concerned over xenophobia increase in Russia, says the Organization's annual report.



"The Russian authorities were increasingly intolerant of dissent or criticism, branding it 'unpatriotic'. A crackdown on civil and political rights was evident throughout the year and in particular during the run-up to the State Duma (parliament) elections in December. Given the strict state control of TV and other media, demonstrations were the flashpoint during the year for political protests, with police detaining demonstrators, journalists, and human rights activists, some of whom were beaten. Activists and political opponents of the government were also subjected to administrative detention," the report says.



"The number of racist attacks that came to the attention of the media rose; at least 61 people were killed across the country. Although authorities recognized the problem and there was an increase in the number of prosecutions for racially motivated crimes, these measures failed to stem the tide of violence."



Serious concerns were expressed as regards the situation in the North Caucasus.



"There were fewer reported cases of disappearances in the Chechen Republic than in previous years; however, serious human rights violations were frequent and individuals were   reluctant to report abuses, fearing reprisals.  Ingushetia saw an increase in serious violations, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions," it says.



"Violent racist attacks occurred with alarming regularity, mostly concentrated in big cities such as Moscow, St Petersburg and Nizhnii Novgorod, where the majority of foreigners and ethnic minorities lived. While exact figures for numbers of attacks and racist incidents were hard to verify, the non-governmental SOVA Information and Analytical Centre reported    that at least 61 people were killed and at least 369 were injured in racially motivated attacks, an increase on 2006. Anti-Semitic attacks and desecration of Jewish cemeteries were also reported. The real level of such violence remained hidden due to chronic under-reporting," says the report available on Amnesty International's website.