The Council of Europe's anti-racism commission has found that Roma (also known as Gypsies) are the most oppressed minority in Russia, according to a September 24, 2008 article in the national daily "Vremya Novostey." "Gypsies, like people from the Caucasus, are stopped 20 times often more by police than people of Slavic appearance," said the commission's deputy head Michael Head, a conclusion seconded by Russia's human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin. Galina Kozhevnikova of the Sova Center added, however, that people from Central Asia are more likely to fall victim to neo-Nazi violence. The commission also found that the Russian government has not yet taken the necessary steps against neo-Nazis, and that migration laws contribute to anti-migrant discrimination. Both the commission and Ms. Kozhevnikova found that Russian police have increased the number of neo-Nazi arrests, though hate crimes laws are still rarely applied.

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