Volume 3, Number 8
Friday, February 21, 2003

BIGOTRY MONITOR
A Weekly Human Rights Newsletter on Antisemitism, Xenophobia, andReligious Persecution in the Former Communist World and Western Europe

EDITOR: CHARLES FENYVESI
(News and Editorial Policy within the sole discretion of the editor)

Published by UCSJ: Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union
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RUSSIA'S JUSTICE MINISTRY TO BAR EXTREMIST PARTIES FROM ELECTIONS. Russia's Justice Ministry will make sure that extremist parties and movements are barred from the upcoming parliamentary elections, Deputy Justice Minister Yevgeny Sidorenko told Interfax on February 19. "A situation like the Spas movement will not happen again," Sidorenko said. (The Spas list, which included Russian National Unity and other extremist and far-right activists, dropped out of the 1999 race a few days before the elections, following a court ruling.) Once the law on political parties is amended, the Justice Ministry will investigate most of the registered parties to ensure that the list it submits to the Central Election Commission "is correct and consistent with the law," Sidorenko said. The Justice Ministry has registered 50 political parties, including two that are openly antisemitic, and denied registration to 20 applicants.

RUSSIAN LOSSES IN CHECHNYA COULD BE TWICE AS HIGH AS THE OFFICIAL FIGURE. On February 17, some Russian news agencies cited military sources as saying that in 2002, nearly 5,000 Russian servicemen were killed in Chechnya, Boris Sapozhnikov wrote in the web site "gazeta.ru" the following day. A few hours later, the journalist added, the Defense Ministry angrily refuted the reports and announced that 4,572 servicemen had indeed been killed and 15,549 wounded, but between September 1999 - the beginning of the second Chechen war - and December 23, 2002. Sapozhnikov noted that regardless how much the Defense Ministry plays down Russian losses, over the past three years the Chechen rebels have killed the equivalent of two motorized divisions, which he called "excessively high," given "the federal forces' overwhelming advantage" in manpower and equipment. "Even in Afghanistan the Soviet Army never suffered such high losses," he wrote. But the official figures are not reliable, Sapozhnikov cautioned, as for instance it has never been clarified if they include those who died in the hospital of wounds.

Human rights groups have often accused the military of minimizing its losses in the war, the Associated Press (AP) reported, and since different governmental organizations tally casualty lists differently, independent verification is "impossible." AP cites Valentina Melnikova of the Soldiers' Mothers of Russia, "a respected group that bases its estimates on information from wounded troops and soldiers' relatives," that since the war's start, about 11,000 servicemen have been killed and more than 30,000 wounded. That means, Sapozhnikov observed, that the true casualty toll is twice as high as the number published by the military.

ASIATIC RUSSIA'S CHIEF MUFTI REPEATS 9/11 BIG LIE. Nafigulla Ashirov, the chief mufti of the Asian part of Russia, has once again blamed Israel for the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. In a February 7 question-and-answer with the weekly newspaper "Konservator," Sheykh Ashirov contended that the September 11 attacks were "not in any way executed by some kind of mythical Bin-Laden" but, instead, by the Israeli and U.S. special services. His conspiracy theory, shared by others in Muslim societies, is based on his observation that "the Zionist system was at a dead end," following the international conference in Durban, South Africa in August 2001 that issued a statement condemning Israel as a racist state. (Ashirov stated, incorrectly, that "all" the conference delegates approved that statement.) "And then there were the explosions in the towers," Sheykh Ashirov continued. "The anger of all of world society switched from Israel to the unfortunate [Osama] Bin Laden who wanders in the desert with his crooked automatic rifle. Such explosions could only have been executed by the strongest special services in the world -- the Israeli and even the American special services themselves may have participated in the preparation of September 11." Then Sheykh Ashirov offered an additional "proof": "In identifying the organizers of these terrorist acts, one must operate under the principle of whom they benefited. And only Israel and the United States benefited."

TATAR NATIONALISTS THREATEN MOSCOW WITH CHECHEN SCENARIO. Russia's Deputy Prosecutor-General Aleksandr Zvyagintsev has taken the Tatarstan parliament to court, REN TV reported on February 11, as the Prosecutor-General's Office in Moscow believes that 19 articles of the new Tatarstan constitution run counter to federal law and 18 of them are void because they have already been recognized to be in violation of the Russian constitution. The Tatarstan Supreme Court is now scheduled to begin consideration of Zvyagintsev's charges. "If Tatarstan is stripped of its limited sovereignty," the TV program said, "Tatar nationalists threaten Moscow with actions of disobedience and a repeat of the Chechen scenario."

According to the TV correspondent, Tatarstan's coat of arms, flag, and anthem as well as the requirement that the republic's president must be fluent in the two state languages -- Tatar and Russian -- are incompatible with Russian federal law. But, the program continued, the people of Tatarstan believe that the dispute is not legal but political, and "the Kazan Kremlin does not want to share power with the Moscow Kremlin and to give up the last remnants of its freedom and independence."

Reporting from the plenary session of a Tatar nationalist group called the All-Tatarstan Public Center (ATPC) held in the National Cultural Center in Kazan, the Moscow-based TV station noted that photographs of Tatar nationalist leaders shared exhibition space with photographs of Chechen field commanders, while vendors sold a book titled "Jihad of the Tatar People" for as little as 10 rubles - about 30 cents. Interviewed by the television station, Rafis Kashapov, chairman of the ATPC's Naberezhnyye Chelny branch, said: "If this pressure on Tatarstan and the republics of the Volga region continues, it will lead to -- I would say -- extreme measures." Asked what he meant, Kashapov replied: "Well, look at what happened in Chechnya." The TV correspondent interpreted the remark as suggesting that "Russia is urged to give up its policy of a major power and an empire, and to leave the sovereign state of Tatarstan and its constitution in peace." The program quoted Tatarstan legislator Marat Galeev as saying that under President Vladimir Putin's federal reforms, Tatarstan has experienced "an increase in unemployment, a reduction of its regional budget by almost half, and a decline in road construction by some 60 percent."

The TV program also cited a member of the Tatarstan State Council, Midkhat Kurmanov, to the effect that "from the formal point of view, many articles of the Tatarstan constitution run counter to federal law. But Moscow should not be worried by it so much. It is all a trifle." Kurmanov argued that the articles in the Tatar constitution do not add up to "a threat to the security of the Russian Federation. They will not prevent the federal agencies from exercising their authority on the territory of Tatarstan."

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on February 13, ATPC plenum participants "sharply criticized U.S. policy toward Iraq and Russia's authorities for infringing upon the interests, languages, and cultures of non-Russian peoples and the national republics." They also "lambasted Tatarstan's leadership for its failure to defend the Tatar Constitution and the interests of the Tatar people." ATPC Chairman Reshit Jegeferov told the forum that recent legislation prohibiting regional parties might force the ATPC to become an underground organization.

SALVATION ARMY WINS SUIT AGAINST MOSCOW CITY GOVERNMENT. The Salvation Army defeated a lawsuit brought by Moscow's city government trying to close down the religious group's Moscow chapter for failing to re-register, its attorney, Vladimir Ryakhovsky of the Slavic Legal Center, said on February 18. The Salvation Army's legal battle with city authorities dates back to 2000, when its re-registration application was repeatedly turned down. Last year, the Salvation Army's case was bolstered by a Constitutional Court's ruling that religious organizations could not be shut down for failing to re-register. Ryakhovsky said he now plans to challenge a 2000 Presnensky court ruling calling the Salvation Army a "militarized group."

COALITION TO TURKMEN LEADER: MARK BIRTHDAY BY OBSERVING RULE OF LAW. Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov should mark his birthday by committing himself to the protection of human rights, suggested a coalition of human rights groups: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Helsinki Federation, International League for Human Rights, and Memorial Human Rights Center. The unusual suggestion was prompted by plans to observe the presidential birthday, February 19, as a major event in the Central Asian republic. "Turkmenistan has long had an appalling human rights record," a statement by the coalition observed, pointing out that the armed attack on Niyazov last November "triggered a new wave of repression throughout the country." The coalition asked for release of those "arbitrarily or unlawfully detained," permit visits to those imprisoned, grant human rights monitors access to Turkmenistan, and ensure "fair and public retrials for those convicted at unfair trials" in connection with the November attack.

The coalition noted that for the past decade, Niyazov has tolerated no dissent, controlled the news media, and curtailed freedom of expression. "The only sanctioned religions are Sunni Islam and Russian Orthodoxy; other religious faiths are persecuted," the statement declared. "Ethnic minorities are discriminated against. Freedom of movement is severely restricted. The government does not allow non-governmental human rights organizations to operate. It has banned the circus, opera, and philharmonic orchestra, and closed the Academy of Sciences."

RUSSIA TO TRACK ALL FOREIGNERS ENTERING THE COUNTRY. On February 14, Russia began handing "migration cards" to all foreigners, including tourists entering the country, "The New York Times" has reported. The brief item noted that Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov has warned foreigners who do not carry such cards that they might be deported. Russian officials say that their objective is to keep track of the influx of migrant workers, especially from poverty-stricken former Soviet republics like Ukraine, Moldova, and Armenia that enjoy visa-free relations with Russia.

Others from Central Asia who are either in the country already or will enter without applying for the cards will be subject to deportation. Critics of the regulation include human rights activists who warned that one likely consequence will be an increase in the demand for bribes by the authorities in charge of checking the cards.

JOINT CZECH-GERMAN BORDER PATROL NOW STOPS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. The agreement between the two governments was signed in 2000, and it was finally implemented on February 17: Czech and German police began a joint border patrol, described by a Czech spokeswoman as "part of continued efforts to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into Germany." The Associated Press reported from Prague that four units made up of German and Czech officers now operate on both sides of the border near the northern Czech town of Rumburk, 80 miles north of Prague. Each unit consists of three officers -- two from the host country and one from the neighboring nation. In coming months, such joint patrols will cover the entire Czech-German border, police said. Thousands of illegal immigrants are intercepted every year in the Czech Republic, which is a transit point for refugees and others trying to reach Western Europe.

The operation is part of a Europe-wide effort to stem the tide of migrants, most of them from Africa and Asia, trying to enter prosperous Western Europe without travel documents. So far the most ambitious project is the creation of a multinational fleet to patrol Europe's Mediterranean coastline. (See Bigotry Monitor of January 31.) The governments taking part are Spain, Britain, France, Italy, and Portugal. Preparing to join the European Union next year, the Czech Republic has been tightening its border controls recently.

NATO ARRESTS OF KOSOVO ALBANIANS SEEN AS KEY STEP FOR JUSTICE. On February 17, troops of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) arrested three former Kosovo Liberation Army members on war crimes charges, and their accomplice who managed to flee was captured two days later in Slovenia, according to news agency reports. The case of Haradin Bala, Isak Musliu, Agim Murtezi, and Fatmir Limaj marks the first time that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia publicly indicted Kosovo Albanians. The four who served in 1998 as "commanders/guards" at a prison camp for Kosovo for Serbian and Albanian civilians are now charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Human Rights Watch (HRW) called the arrests "an important step for the cause of justice." For years, authorities in Serbia contended that the absence of indictments of Kosovo Albanians is evidence of the tribunal's bias against Serbs. "It is clear that the Tribunal prosecutor will issue indictments against alleged war criminals on all sides, if and when she gathers compelling evidence," said Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of HRW's Europe and Central Asia Division. "Authorities in the region should do more to assist the Tribunal in that effort."

On February 18, Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova told Deutsche Welle's Albanian Service that the arrests and trials of the indicted Kosovo Albanians are matters for the tribunal to decide. He stressed that justice must take its course without any political interference. Like all states in the region, he added, Kosovo is obliged to cooperate fully with the Hague Tribunal.

* * * QUOTE OF THE WEEK * * * "Our people can forgive everything, bar one thing: lying," President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of the heads of Russia's regional parliaments on February 18, as reported by Channel One TV. "But we are postponing things constantly, year in, year out, pretending not to notice that there are laws in force. We say that this or that law will not operate this year, knowing that it will not be in operation the following year, either, because there is no money. Why lie?"

LOCAL AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN AS NEO-NAZI VIOLENCE SPREADS ACROSS RUSSIA

In cities throughout Russia, skinhead violence continues to flare up, but in contrast to previous years, local authorities are more frequently arresting the attackers, UCSJ monitors report. Nevertheless, some local news media continue to criticize the authorities for not taking more active measures to stop what one paper has termed "a plague" of neo-Nazi violence spreading across Russia.

1. Chelyabinsk
According to a February 5 article in the daily "Chelyabinsky Rabochy," a skinhead gang was arrested in the wake of an attack on a businessman from Afghanistan. At the end of January, a group of men wearing camouflage uniforms burst into the businessman's apartment, beating him and handcuffing him while they robbed his apartment. Police investigators traced the attack to a group of skinheads and raided their headquarters in the Kalinisky district of the city. There they discovered pamphlets calling for the "killing of Kikes and Niggers" along with posters of Hitler.

According to "Chelyabinsky Rabochy," one of the city's leading dailies, skinheads in the Kalinisky district number between 50-60 core members, with an additional hundred or so "sympathizers." Armed with clubs and occasionally knives, Kalinsky skinheads spend their time hunting for people they consider their "main enemies: Jews, people from the Caucasus, the homeless, and fans of rap music." In retrospect, local police perceive two incidents of mass youth violence in October and November as the point at which this skinhead gang became active.

The article ends with sharp criticism of the local authorities. Though "Chelyabinsky Rabochy" has written about skinheads many times, "the reaction of the Prosecutor's Office and the organs of executive and legislative power has been, to put it mildly, weak. They made pledges, they sincerely got upset, but they did not act. You could spend a lot of time asking yourself why in Russia we don't like to cure a disease when it first starts; instead we heroically and passionately start fighting it only when it reaches the level of an epidemic."

2. Ryazan
After a series of racist attacks on foreign students in the city last year, a police crackdown on skinheads has resulted in a drop in hate crimes, according to the local newspaper "Meshcherskaya Storona" of February 5. The article began with a description of a December 10, 2002 attack that took place in the center of town on Mayakovsky Street. While screaming "non-Russians, get out of Ryazan!" two men beat up an African student, sending him to the hospital with serious injuries. None of the numerous witnesses to the attack stepped up to help the student, one of approximately 500 Africans currently studying in Ryazan. In separate incidents last fall an Indian student had his nose broken, a Syrian student was beaten so badly that he ended up in the hospital, and two Moroccans were severely beaten. "And these are only the incidents that have been recorded," the article noted, pointing out that most foreign students refuse to report hate crimes to the police. According to the newspaper, there are more than 200 "active" skinheads in the city, with an unidentified number of additional "inactive" comrades.

By the end of last year, Ryazan's foreign student community had had enough, the article continued. After the leader of the foreign student association was nearly beaten to death outside his dorm, he organized a petition, signed by more than 150 fellow students, demanding that the local authorities protect them from skinhead violence. "The Ryazan police, it should be noted, reacted quickly," the article acknowledged. "And it should be noted that over the past six months, law enforcement agencies have prevented several mass attacks [against foreign students], and OMON troops were deployed to protect the foreigners at the medical school." Nevertheless, the article ended on a sad note: "Several months ago, parents in far-away Tunis received a zinc coffin containing the corpse of their only son. He studied in Ryazan, but, having gotten sick of racist attacks, he decided to spend the holidays in Tver. There he ran into local skinheads, who killed him. The plague is spreading throughout Russia."

3. Samara
Six skinheads have been arrested in connection with the July 2002 murder of a Chinese student, according to a February 9 Itar-Tass report. The teenage suspects are being charged with committing what the news agency termed the first murder of a foreign student in Samara. The victim was found beaten to death near the Aerospace University campus.

4. St. Petersburg
Last week, this newsletter cited a report by Moscow's Center TV on February 8 to the effect that at a tram station near St. Petersburg's Mechnikov Medical Academy, unidentified teenagers beat to death Akhish Ramgulan, an 18-year-old medical student from the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. According to the television station, the four suspected attackers are members of extremist youth groups, and the incidents marked the skinheads' second attack on foreign students in St. Petersburg last week. Being attacked in public places has become an ordinary event in recent years for the 1,300 foreign students of the Medical Academy, the television correspondent reported.

The local authorities appear to have responded seriously to the most recent attacks. On February 11, the Petersburg-based Baltic Information Agency reported that in the course of a two-day operation in the city, police detained about 150 skinheads. On February 12, the local newspaper "Nevskoe Vremya" reported that three skinheads have been arrested in connection with the murder of the Mauritian student, one of them nicknamed "The Fuhrer." Police also took the unusual step of encouraging citizens to call and report any incidents of racist violence.

The local press is still critical of what it calls official indifference to the skinhead problem. For example, on February 10, the local edition of "Novaya Gazeta" claimed that "young Nazis feel sure of themselves on the streets of Petersburg" and the February 12 issue of the local edition of "Argumenty i Fakty" blasted Governor Vladimir Yakovlev for his recent reaction to a reporter's question about skinheads in his city: "There's no need to spread panic! We don't have any skinheads here!" the governor reportedly claimed, despite a recent statement by Russian Interior Ministry's chief of the organized crime investigation department, Valery Komarov, who estimated the number of skinheads in St. Petersburg as 3,000.

5. Surgut
The trial of ten skinheads in Surgut (Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug) is nearing its conclusion, according to a February 13 report by the local "Yurga" television network. On April 10, 2002 a group of skinheads armed with metal rods beat a 35-year-old Tajik to death. Fifteen suspects were detained in connection with the murder; ten were eventually put on trial. Police were helped enormously by the fact that the perpetrators videotaped the murder, along with scenes from their meetings during which they shouted Nazi slogans. Some of the suspects had criminal records stemming from their murder last year of a homeless man, but since they were under-aged, they were soon released.

The trial began last September. Five of the accused were allowed to remain free upon signing a written undertaking not to leave the city during the trial and two of them contended that they were insane at the time of the killing, but an expert psychiatric study ruled that they were competent and therefore liable. Meanwhile, a group of fellow skinheads have held demonstrations outside the courthouse praising the murder. A verdict is expected at the end of February.

"It seems that the Kremlin's declared war on extremism is finally trickling down to the provincial level, but as always, the amount of police attention to the skinhead problem varies from city to city, based on the whims of the local authorities," says Nickolai Butkevich, UCSJ's research director. "Nevertheless, this new get-tough attitude on the part of some provincial police forces towards skinhead gangs inspires cautious optimism, and after years of unpunished racist violence, that is a major step forward. We need to keep the pressure on to ensure that there isn't any backsliding toward the previous policy of denial and lack of action once the media buzz about skinheads dies down."
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