Russia Criticized For Allowing Racial Discrimination
Friends of a student from Senegal who was killed in April hold his picture during a rally in his memory in St. Petersburg on April 8 (epa)
In a new report, the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) says Russia has reinforced a law aimed at combating racism, racial discrimination, and extremism, and that there have been some prosecutions for hate speech.
But the report adds that there needs to be greater urgency at both local and national level in tackling the problem.
It says many immigrant workers, notably from former Soviet republics, experience "oppressive working conditions," and that the situation of asylum seekers and refugees is "precarious."
The report said there are still some problems of racial discrimination, particularly in education, access to public services, and employment.
Yusuf Sultonov, whose 9-year-old daughter was beaten and stabbed to death in St. Petersburg on February 9, 2004 (TASS)
EXTREMISM ASCENDANT: More than half of Russians have xenophobic views, according to a report published in August 2005. In the report, rights groups say that -- despite progress in some areas -- racism, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism remain rife in Russia. But what worries watchdogs most are recent moves by nationalist-patriotic movements to form paramilitary groups....(more)
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