The meaning of extremist. Siberian Federal University. Prevention of extremist activities

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What is Extremism

Extremism is an extreme form of adherence to certain views in religion, often in politics, which poses a threat to the safety of the population. Such measures have a provocative meaning, since participants in the extremist movement are radically opposed to social norms and laws. A characteristic feature is the denial of any compromises, negotiations, or agreements. Extremism is a phenomenon that arises in the process of changing the socio-economic system in a country with a decrease in the living standards of the population, led by the ruling circles.

What is EXTREMISM - definition, meaning in simple words.

In simple words, extremism is a call by the social masses to take violent action against the existing political, religious or social system. Throughout the entire historical development, the theme of extremism was expressed in the racial, social, national, and linguistic affiliation of a person. This trend violates the interests and safety of the population, which can freely choose religion, language, etc.

What manifestations of extremism exist today:

Conducting and public demonstrative behavior;
Being fanatical about particular views and showing cruelty towards others;
Conducting terrorist and bandit operations;
Seizing power by ideology, demonstrations and propaganda;
Use of Nazi symbols and similar paraphernalia. Extremist organizations often use this method to attract attention;
Calls and dissemination of extremist materials against the existing regime and social opinions. Their mass distribution leads to unrest in society and disruption of civility.

Manifestation of extremism is expressed in a specific ideology that one person or group brings to the general masses. Extremists consider themselves exceptional, superior to others in rights and development. This gives rise to hatred and enmity towards a particular social group.

Criminal punishment for extremism.

Punishment for extremism is gradated depending on the severity of the crime. The maximum term of imprisonment is 15-20 years for especially serious crimes ( depends on the specific country). These include materials that are distributed in printed and electronic form to carry out work against the interests and security of the state. Mild forms of extremism are punishable by 1-5 years of imprisonment or an administrative fine as a warning.

The law prosecutes any actions that are directed against the state system or public well-being. The leaders of such a movement deliberately go against the state and society in order to violate values, rights, and traditional views. Often outbursts of aggression are accompanied by calls for physical or moral violence. This direction is strictly suppressed by the criminal code for public safety.

Countering extremism.

Countering extremism is an important procedure that allows you to restore the state in society and neutralize the danger. For example, Nazi paraphernalia that is legally in a museum but is not used to distribute or persuade others is not a sign of extremism. It is also not a sign of extremism if a person carries within himself, but does not transfer them to other people and does not apply them in life. Many writers can build on the theme of promoting something, but in the form of scientific research, the study of such a phenomenon, as a literary work, not to impose their views on the reader.

Types of extremism.

Political extremism.

Political extremism is views and statements directed against. Various currents are trying to impose inter-class, racial, regional, market-economic struggle.

This term should not be confused with the activities of a specific party, which acts within the framework of the current legislation in expressing its interests to attract voters. For example, many consider the opposition to be something illegal that poses a threat to national interests, but this is incorrect, because it operates within the framework of the legislative framework.

Religious extremism.

Today this trend is mainly based on Islamic regimes, which are considered the most inhumane in world practice. Radical Muslim armed movements have nothing in common with the pure religion of Islam, where there is no talk of violence and domination over other nations and cultures. Terrorist groups arose by imposing and fooling the masses, who began to use religion as an ideology and a tool for violence.

Religious uprisings are extreme form of fanaticism. They are characterized by hysterical, schizoid, excitable forms, which turn to self-praise, the use of force, and intimidation.

Youth extremism.

Concerns the most vulnerable segments of the population - school-age children and students. Most people unknowingly end up in societies that organize crimes and secret meetings. Satanists, skinheads () and other groups where young people can often be found act together. Stronger morally and physically participants force weaker ones to commit illegal actions and manipulate them. As a result, the child is left with a depressed psyche and suffers from the influence of his peers. It is important to conduct preventive conversations with a child and adolescent to identify his problems.

Often extremism is associated with the activities of sects or sects that impose their views on all participants. There are dozens of examples in history, the most striking of which are: Hare Krishnas, Jehovah's Witnesses and other organizations. All of them are in one way or another aimed at racial and cultural discrimination, violation of human rights and freedoms, and the seizure of his material wealth. Sects are created to strictly control group members, suppress their own thinking, and impose their interests to gain power. This is where the cult of personality and religion arises, which lowers people’s vigilance, makes them susceptible to other people’s opinions, and withdraws into themselves.

The phenomenon of extremism is still being studied, so this term covers all structures of human life and requires detailed analysis. From this article you learned what extremism is in simple words, what types and features it has.

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Expand the concept of “extremist activity”.

Extremism– represents one of the forms of radical denial of existing social norms and rules in the state on the part of individuals or groups.

violent change in the foundations of the constitutional system and violation of the integrity of the Russian Federation;

inciting social, racial, national or religious hatred;

propaganda of exclusivity, superiority or inferiority of a person on the basis of his social, racial, national, religious or linguistic affiliation or attitude to religion;

violation of the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of a person and citizen, depending on his social, racial, national, religious or linguistic affiliation or attitude to religion;

obstruction of citizens' exercise of their voting rights and the right to participate in a referendum or violation of the secrecy of voting, coupled with violence or the threat of its use;

obstruction of the legitimate activities of state bodies, local governments, election commissions, public and religious associations or other organizations, coupled with violence or the threat of its use;

committing crimes for the reasons specified in paragraph "e" of part one of Article 63 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation;

propaganda and public display of Nazi paraphernalia or symbols or paraphernalia or symbols that are confusingly similar to Nazi paraphernalia or symbols;

public calls for the implementation of these acts or mass distribution of obviously extremist materials, as well as their production or storage for the purpose of mass distribution;

publicly knowingly falsely accusing a person holding a public office of the Russian Federation or a public office of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation of committing, during the performance of his official duties, the acts specified in this article and constituting a crime;

organization and preparation of these acts, as well as incitement to their implementation;

financing of these acts or other assistance in their organization, preparation and implementation, including through the provision of educational, printing and material and technical resources, telephone and other types of communications or the provision of information services.

Expand the concept of “Terrorist activity”.

The term “terrorism”” (from Latin terror - fear, horror) means one of the most serious crimes, representing the commission of violent actions in a generally dangerous way (explosion, arson, etc.) or the threat of such actions in order to violate public safety, intimidate the population, or influencing decision-making by government authorities. At the same time, the goals of terrorists can be different: religious, political, economic, etc. The essence of terrorism should be understood a set of original features, characteristic features and distinctive features inherent in terrorism as a socio-political and legal category, and constituting its internal content.

Terrorist activities- activities that include:

organization, planning, preparation and implementation of a terrorist action;

incitement to a terrorist act, violence against individuals or organizations, destruction of material objects for terrorist purposes;

organization of an illegal armed group, a criminal community (criminal organization), an organized group to commit a terrorist act, as well as participation in such an act;

recruiting, arming, training and using terrorists;

financing a known terrorist organization or terrorist group or otherwise assisting them;

International terrorist activities- terrorist activities carried out:

a terrorist or terrorist organization on the territory of more than one state or damaging the interests of more than one state;

citizens of one state in relation to citizens of another state or on the territory of another state;

in the case where both the terrorist and the victim of terrorism are citizens of the same state or different states, but the crime was committed outside the territories of these states.

Crimes of a terrorist nature- crimes provided for in Articles 205-208, 277 and 360 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Other crimes provided for by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation may also be classified as crimes of a terrorist nature if they are committed for terrorist purposes. Responsibility for committing such crimes occurs in accordance with the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

What function does an educational organization perform in the system of countering the ideology of extremism and terrorism in the Russian Federation?

The state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of education is based on the principles of humanism, the priority of universal human values, educating young people in the spirit of high citizenship and love for the Motherland, and contributes to the protection of human life and health. The Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” reflects a new concept of the intellectual and spiritual development of the student’s personality. In this regard, the education of patriotism among students, the formation of spiritual and moral qualities in them, acquires fundamental importance. In recent years, a huge amount of work has been done in the field of education to instill patriotism in students, rejection of the ideology of extremism and terrorism, and harmonization of interethnic relations.

Education should instill in the individual the mechanisms of adaptation, life creativity, reflection, survival, and preservation of one’s individuality. Thus, in accordance with the requirements of federal educational standards, one of the components of the main educational programs and programs of additional education for children is the activities of an educational organization for patriotic education, spiritual and moral education of the younger generation, for the formation in students of such qualities as love for the Motherland, respectful attitude towards one’s family, the formation of a value-semantic attitude towards sociocultural values. In addition, in the content of the main educational program of preschool education in the areas of “Cognitive Development” and “Socio-Communicative Development”, in the main general education program as part of the development of programs in the academic subjects “The World Around us”, “Fundamentals of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics”, “ Fundamentals of life safety”, “Social studies”, “History”, topics of anti-extremist and anti-terrorist orientation are studied. It is the above-mentioned work of educational organizations with children, adolescents and youth that is the basis for information counteraction to the ideology of extremism and terrorism in the educational environment.

Also, educational organizations draw up a plan to counter the ideology of terrorism and extremism for the academic year, which should be comprehensive and systematic. The plan reflects the items “Educational activities with children”; “Educational activities with parents”; “Organization of information space”; "Activity"; "Interdepartmental cooperation." You can't stop there. It is necessary to continue the activities of educational organizations at all levels of education, including preschool educational organizations and organizations of additional education for children, aimed at countering the ideology of extremism and terrorism in the educational environment.

Based on the above, one of the main tasks solved in the education system is the search for ways and means of developing spiritual and moral qualities in students, nurturing patriotism and forming a safe type of personality in students and pupils as a factor in preventing and countering the ideology of terrorism in the educational environment. Solving the problem of countering the ideology of extremism in the educational environment is impossible without putting forward new social attitudes, the internalization (appropriation) of which begins during the period of general education. Until now, issues of countering the ideology of extremism have not been associated with the problem of personality, its goals, motives, needs and value-semantic relations. It is impossible to form a value-semantic attitude to life frontally, by informing students and pupils of the rules of behavior, by memorizing norms and laws. This process is subjective, lengthy and complex. The value-semantic orientation of the educational work of teachers is realized in the course of organizing the educational activities of students and pupils using meaning-forming technologies.

The educational activities of students and pupils are filled with situations of creativity and experience; during classes, independence in solving educational situations is supported, which encourages children to take an active position. To form a safe type of personality, it is proposed to use methods and technologies that ensure the integration of the process of cognition with the process of comprehension. This is the project method, multimedia technologies (conducting training sessions using a multimedia complex, demonstration of infographics, videos, photo reports, analysis of exercise situations, use of digital educational resources), case studies, trainings, problem situations, analysis of specific situations, discussions, business games (see additional material “Methodological recommendations for conducting training sessions with students of general education organizations on countering the ideology of extremism and terrorism”).

Thus, the activities of educational organizations of all levels and types of education, including preschool educational organizations and organizations of additional education of children, aimed at developing spiritual and moral qualities in students and pupils, is the basis for countering the ideology of extremism and terrorism in the educational environment, which corresponds to the objectives tasks facing the education system in paragraph 27 of the Strategy for Countering Extremism in the Russian Federation.

Lecture material on the topic:

“Extremist activity (concept, responsibility).

Main directions of countering extremism"

Extremism is a commitment to extreme measures and views that radically deny the norms and rules existing in society through a set of violent manifestations committed by individuals and specially organized groups and communities. Among such manifestations one can note the provocation of riots, civil disobedience, terrorist acts, and methods of guerrilla warfare.

The most radical extremists often deny in principle any compromises, negotiations, or agreements. The growth of extremism is usually facilitated by: socio-economic crises, a sharp drop in the standard of living of the bulk of the population, a totalitarian political regime with suppression of the opposition by the authorities, and persecution of dissent. However, extremism as a phenomenon is quite tenacious in states with a democratic system that includes numerous rights and freedoms.

Extremism is a complex and heterogeneous form of expression of hatred and hostility. There are the following main types of extremism: political, national and religious.

National extremism acts under the slogans of protecting “one’s own people,” their economic interests, cultural values, as a rule, to the detriment of representatives of other nationalities living in the same territory.

Religious extremism is understood as intolerance towards dissident representatives of the same or another religion. In recent years, the problem of Islamic extremism has worsened. The Wahhabi ideology, the slogan of which is “death to all infidels,” has become widespread.

Political extremism is a movement or movement against the existing constitutional order. As a rule, national or religious extremism is the basis for the emergence of political extremism. Today, extremism is a real threat to the national security of the Russian Federation.

The legal definition of what actions are considered extremist is contained in Article 1 of Federal Law No. 114-FZ “On Combating Extremist Activities”:

Violent change in the foundations of the constitutional system and violation of the integrity of the Russian Federation;

Public justification of terrorism and other terrorist activities;

Inciting social, racial, national or religious hatred;

Propaganda of exclusivity, superiority or inferiority of a person on the basis of his social, racial, national, religious or linguistic affiliation or attitude to religion;

Violation of the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of a person and citizen, depending on his social, racial, national, religious or linguistic affiliation or attitude to religion;

Obstructing citizens from exercising their voting rights and the right to participate in a referendum or violating the secrecy of voting, coupled with violence or the threat of its use;

Obstruction of the legitimate activities of state bodies, local governments, election commissions, public and religious associations or other organizations, combined with violence or the threat of its use;

Committing crimes motivated by political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or enmity, or motivated by hatred or enmity against any social group;

Propaganda and public display of Nazi paraphernalia or symbols or paraphernalia or symbols that are confusingly similar to Nazi paraphernalia or symbols;

Public calls for the implementation of these acts or mass distribution of obviously extremist materials, as well as their production or storage for the purpose of mass distribution;

Public knowingly false accusation of a person holding a public office of the Russian Federation or a public office of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation of committing, during the performance of his official duties, the acts specified in this article and constituting a crime;

Organization and preparation of these acts, as well as incitement to their implementation;

Financing of these acts or other assistance in their organization, preparation and implementation, including by providing educational, printing and material and technical base, telephone and other types of communications or provision of information services.

1) Actions are associated with rejection of the existing state or social order and are carried out in illegal forms. Extremist actions will be those that are associated with the desire to destroy and discredit currently existing public and state institutions, rights, traditions, and values. Moreover, such actions can be violent in nature and contain direct or indirect calls for violence. Activity that is extremist in content is always criminal in form and manifests itself in the form of socially dangerous acts committed, prohibited by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

2) Actions are of a public nature, affect socially significant issues and are addressed to a wide range of people. A person’s beliefs cannot contain signs of extremist activity as long as they are part of his intellectual life and do not find their expression in the form of one or another social activity. For example, Nazi paraphernalia or symbols can be legally kept in museums. However, propaganda activities and public display of such symbols will contain signs of extremism.

For carrying out extremist activities, citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens and stateless persons bear criminal, administrative and civil liability in the manner established by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Administrative liability - occurs for committing an administrative offense, i.e. an unlawful act characterized by a lower social danger than a crime. Thus, the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses establishes liability for:

1. Propaganda and public display of Nazi paraphernalia or symbols or public display of paraphernalia or symbols of extremist organizations (Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).

Nazi paraphernalia and symbols may include banners, badges, uniform attributes, other distinctive signs, greetings and welcoming gestures. The sale, production or acquisition for the purpose of selling such symbols is also administratively punishable.

The symbols of an extremist organization are the officially registered symbols of an organization in respect of which, on the grounds provided for by the Law, a court has made a decision that has entered into legal force to liquidate or ban its activities in connection with the implementation of extremist activities.

2. Production and distribution of extremist materials included in the published federal list of extremist materials, as well as their production or storage for the purpose of mass distribution (Article 20.29 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).

Extremist materials are documents or information on other media that call for extremist activities. Such materials include: works of the leaders of the National Socialist Workers' Party of Germany, the Fascist Party of Italy, publications justifying national and (or) racial superiority, publications justifying the commission of crimes against any ethnic, social, racial, national or religious group.

The most severe form of liability for carrying out extremist activities is criminal. The basis for criminal liability is the commission of a crime, i.e. an unlawful, socially dangerous act (action or inaction), for which the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provides for liability. This type of liability is associated with the most serious legal restrictions for persons involved in it, up to and including imprisonment for a certain period.

For reference:

An incomplete list of extremist articles in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (the most common):

1) Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation establishes liability for public calls for extremist activities.

2) Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation establishes liability for inciting hatred or enmity, as well as humiliation of human dignity. Responsibility arises only if these actions were committed publicly or using the media.

3) Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation establishes responsibility for organizing and participating in an extremist community. An extremist community is an organized group of individuals for preparing or committing the above-mentioned crimes of an extremist nature.

4) Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation establishes responsibility for organizing the activities of an extremist organization.

In addition, the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in a number of articles establishes criminal liability for committing crimes based on political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or enmity based on hatred or hostility towards any social group (for example: Art. 105 Part 2 item “l” - intentional murder, article 111 part 2 item “e” - intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm, 116 part 2 item “b” - beatings, etc.).

In order to ensure state and public security on the grounds and in the manner provided for by federal law, a person who has participated in extremist activities may, by a court decision, be limited in access to state and municipal service, contract military service and service in law enforcement agencies, and also to work in educational institutions and engage in private detective and security activities.

In the event that the head or member of the governing body of a public or religious association or other organization makes a public statement calling for extremist activities, without indicating that this is his personal opinion, as well as in the event that a sentence comes into force in relation to such person court for a crime of an extremist nature, the relevant public or religious association or other organization is obliged, within five days from the day on which the specified statement was made, to publicly declare its disagreement with the statements or actions of such a person. If the relevant public or religious association or other organization does not make such a public statement, this may be considered as a fact indicating the presence of signs of extremism in their activities.

In addition, Article 14 of the Federal Law “On Combating Extremist Activities” provides for separate liability for statements by an official, as well as another person in the state or municipal service, about the need, admissibility, possibility or desirability of carrying out extremist activities, made publicly or in performance of official duties, or indicating the position held, as well as failure by an official to take measures to suppress extremist activities in accordance with his competence.

Thus, officials bear responsibility not only for extremist activities carried out by them as citizens of the state, but also for failure to take measures to suppress these activities, within the scope of their competence.

The basic principles on the basis of which manifestations of extremism are counteracted are:

Legality - strict compliance in the process of implementing countermeasures with the requirements of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, international treaties and agreements ratified by Russia, federal constitutional, federal laws and by-laws;

Complexity - combining the efforts of the main subjects of preventive activities in countering manifestations of extremism;

Optimality - achieving the greatest results in countering extremism activities with the least material, financial, and resource costs;

Efficiency - implementation of preventive measures adequate to the criminological situation.

Countering extremist activities is carried out in the following main areas:

Taking preventive measures aimed at preventing extremist activity, including identifying and subsequently eliminating the causes and conditions conducive to extremist activity;

Identification, prevention and suppression of extremist activities of public and religious associations, other organizations, individuals.

The effectiveness of countering extremism largely depends on the quality of coordination of the activities of law enforcement agencies. Coordination should be more stringent regarding the procedures for developing and implementing agreed decisions. This process must be accompanied by a clear distribution of roles, the use of forces and means, forms and methods of work adequate to the emerging threats and their development trends. Thoughtful coordination should minimize extremist crime.

Extremism (from French extremisme, from Latin extremus - extreme) - commitment to extreme views and, in particular, measures (usually in politics). Such measures include provoking riots, civil disobedience, terrorist acts, and methods of guerrilla warfare. The most radical extremists often deny in principle any compromises, negotiations, or agreements. The growth of extremism is usually facilitated by: socio-economic crises, a sharp drop in the standard of living of the bulk of the population, a totalitarian political regime with suppression of the opposition by the authorities, and persecution of dissent. In such situations, extreme measures may become for some individuals and organizations the only opportunity to really influence the situation, especially if a revolutionary situation develops or the state is engulfed in a long civil war - we can talk about “forced extremism.”

1. The problem of defining the concept

In different countries and at different times, many different legal and scientific definitions of the concept of “extremism” have been given. There is no single definition today. Dr. Peter T. Coleman and Dr. Andrea Bartoli, in their work “Addressing Extremism,” gave a brief overview of the proposed definitions of this concept:

Extremism is actually a complex phenomenon, although its complexity is often difficult to see and understand. The easiest way to define it is as the activities (as well as beliefs, attitudes towards something or someone, feelings, actions, strategies) of an individual that are far from the usual generally accepted ones. In a situation of conflict - demonstration of a tough form of conflict resolution. However, labeling activities, people and groups as “extremist”, as well as determining what should be considered “ordinary” or “generally accepted” is always a subjective and political matter. Thus, we assume that any discussion on the topic of extremism addresses the following:

Typically, some extremist actions are viewed by some people as just and virtuous (for example, pro-social “freedom fighting”), while other extremist actions are viewed as unjust and immoral (anti-social “terrorism”). This depends on the values, political beliefs, moral restrictions of the evaluator, as well as on his relationship with the actor.
In addition, the same person’s moral assessment of the same extremist action (for example, Nelson Mandela’s use of guerrilla warfare tactics against the South African government) may change depending on the conditions - leadership, opinion of the world community, crises, “settling of historical scores” and so on. Thus, the contemporary and historical context in which an extremist act occurs shapes our views on it
Power differences also matter in defining extremism. During conflict, the actions of members of a weaker group often appear more extreme than those of members of a stronger group defending its status quo. In addition, marginalized people and groups who view more normative forms of conflict resolution as inaccessible to them or are prejudiced against them are more likely to take extreme measures. However, dominant groups also often resort to extreme actions (for example, government-sanctioned violent paramilitary actions or the Waco attack carried out by the FBI in the USA).
Extremist actions often involve violence, although groups of extremists may differ in their preference for violent or nonviolent tactics, the level of violence tolerated, and the preferred targets for their violent actions (from infrastructure and military personnel to civilians and even children). Again, weaker groups are more likely to use and undertake direct and episodic forms of violence (such as suicide bombings), while dominant groups are prone to more structured or institutionalized forms of violence (such as the covert use of torture or the informal authorization of police atrocities).
Although extremists and their groups (such as Hamaz or Islamic Jihad) are often seen as a united and concerted evil, it is important to understand that within them there can be conflict and ambivalent behavior among group members. Thus, for example, individual Hamaz members may vary widely in their willingness to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority and, ultimately, with certain factions in Israel.
Finally, the main problem is that the extremism present in situations of protracted conflict is not the most brutal, but the most visible of the actions of the parties. The rigid and intolerant position of extremists is extremely difficult to change.

Another approach is demonstrated by the co-coordinator of the International Movement for the Protection of Peoples' Rights V. D. Trofimov-Trofimov. According to his definition, extremism is not associated only with politics and extends to all types of human activity:

Extremism is the ideology of the permissibility of using extreme measures, extremes of social behavior, to obtain the desired effect.

2. International legal definition

The “Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism” of June 15, 2001 gives the following definition of extremism (clause 3, part 1, article 1):

Extremism- any act aimed at the forcible seizure of power or forcible retention of power, as well as forcible change in the constitutional system of the state, as well as a violent encroachment on public safety, including the organization of illegal armed groups for the above purposes or participation in them, and those prosecuted criminally in accordance with the national legislation of the Parties.

This Shanghai Convention was signed by: the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. It was ratified in January 2003 and came into force in Russia on March 29 of the same year.

3. Legal definition in Russia
In Russia, the legal definition of what actions are considered extremist is contained in Article 1 of Federal Law No. 114-FZ “On Combating Extremist Activities.”

In accordance with the amendments of April 29, 2008, extremist activities (extremism) include:

violent change in the foundations of the constitutional system and violation of the integrity of the Russian Federation;
public justification of terrorism and other terrorist activities;
inciting social, racial, national or religious hatred;
propaganda of exclusivity, superiority or inferiority of a person on the basis of his social, racial, national, religious or linguistic affiliation or attitude to religion;
violation of the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of a person and citizen, depending on his social, racial, national, religious or linguistic affiliation or attitude to religion;
obstruction of citizens' exercise of their voting rights and the right to participate in a referendum or violation of the secrecy of voting, coupled with violence or the threat of its use;
obstruction of the legitimate activities of state bodies, local governments, election commissions, public and religious associations or other organizations, coupled with violence or the threat of its use;
committing crimes for the reasons specified in paragraph “e” of part one of Article 63 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation;
propaganda and public display of Nazi paraphernalia or symbols, or paraphernalia or symbols that are confusingly similar to Nazi paraphernalia or symbols;
public calls for the implementation of these acts or mass distribution of obviously extremist materials, as well as their production or storage for the purpose of mass distribution;
publicly knowingly falsely accusing a person holding a public office of the Russian Federation or a public office of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation of committing, during the performance of his official duties, the acts specified in this article and constituting a crime;
organization and preparation of these acts, as well as incitement to their implementation;
financing of these actions or other assistance in their organization, preparation and implementation, including through the provision of educational, printing and material and technical base, telephone and other types of communications or the provision of information services.

4. Legal definitions in the USA
Such crimes are classified as “hate crimes” in some US states. This is a special legal qualification of a special kind of crimes against the person, committed under the influence of hatred towards persons of a different race or nationality, religion, ethnic origin, political beliefs, gender and sexual orientation, and people with disabilities. Such additional qualifications, aggravating guilt and toughening punishment, exist in some states of the United States and in a number of countries in Western and Central Europe, but are absent in other states and countries.

5. Basic principles of countering extremist activities
Countering extremist activities is based on the following principles:

recognition, observance and protection of human and civil rights and freedoms, as well as the legitimate interests of organizations;
legality;
publicity;
priority of ensuring the security of the Russian Federation;
priority of measures aimed at preventing extremist activity;
cooperation of the state with public and religious associations, other organizations, citizens in countering extremist activities;
the inevitability of punishment for carrying out extremist activities.

6. Main directions of countering extremist activities
Countering extremist activities is carried out in the following main areas:

taking preventive measures aimed at preventing extremist activity, including identifying and subsequently eliminating the causes and conditions conducive to extremist activity;
identification, prevention and suppression of extremist activities of public and religious associations, other organizations, individuals.

7. Subjects of countering extremist activities
Federal government bodies, government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and local government bodies participate in countering extremist activities within the limits of their competence.

In the Russian Federation, issues of countering extremist activities fall within the competence of the Department for Countering Extremism of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

8. Prevention of extremist activities
In order to counter extremist activities, federal government bodies, government bodies of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and local self-government bodies, within their competence, prioritize preventive, including educational, propaganda measures aimed at preventing extremist activities.

9. Responsibility of officials, state and municipal employees for their implementation of extremist activities
Statements by an official, as well as another person in the state or municipal service, about the need, admissibility, possibility or desirability of carrying out extremist activities, made publicly, either in the performance of official duties, or indicating the position held, as well as failure to accept the official in accordance with with its competence to take measures to suppress extremist activities entails liability established by the legislation of the Russian Federation. The relevant state bodies and higher officials are obliged to immediately take the necessary measures to bring to justice persons who committed the actions specified in part one of this article.

10. Responsibility for carrying out extremist activities
For carrying out extremist activities, citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens and stateless persons bear criminal, administrative and civil liability in the manner established by the legislation of the Russian Federation. In order to ensure state and public security on the grounds and in the manner provided for by federal law, a person who has participated in extremist activities may, by a court decision, be limited in access to state and municipal service, contract military service and service in law enforcement agencies, and also to work in educational institutions and engage in private detective and security activities. In the event that the head or member of the governing body of a public or religious association or other organization makes a public statement calling for extremist activities, without indicating that this is his personal opinion, as well as in the event that a sentence comes into force in relation to such person court for a crime of an extremist nature, the relevant public or religious association or other organization is obliged, within five days from the day on which the specified statement was made, to publicly declare its disagreement with the statements or actions of such a person. If the relevant public or religious association or other organization does not make such a public statement, this may be considered as a fact indicating the presence of signs of extremism in their activities.

11. International cooperation in the field of combating extremism
On the territory of the Russian Federation, the activities of public and religious associations, other non-profit organizations of foreign states and their structural divisions, the activities of which are recognized as extremist in accordance with international legal acts and federal legislation, are prohibited. A ban on the activities of a foreign non-profit non-governmental organization entails:

a) cancellation of state accreditation and registration in the manner established by the legislation of the Russian Federation;

b) prohibition of foreign citizens and stateless persons staying on the territory of the Russian Federation as representatives of this organization;

c) a ban on conducting any economic or other activities on the territory of the Russian Federation;

d) prohibition of publication in the media of any materials on behalf of a banned organization;

e) prohibition of dissemination on the territory of the Russian Federation of materials of a banned organization, as well as other information products containing materials of this organization;

f) a ban on holding any mass actions and public events, as well as participation in mass actions and public events as a representative of a prohibited organization (or its official representatives);

g) a ban on the creation of its successor organizations in any organizational and legal form. After the entry into force of a court decision to ban the activities of a foreign non-profit non-governmental organization, the authorized state body of the Russian Federation is obliged to notify the diplomatic mission or consular office of the relevant foreign state in the Russian Federation within ten days about the ban on the activities of this organization on the territory of the Russian Federation, the reasons for the ban, as well as consequences associated with the ban.

The Russian Federation, in accordance with international treaties of the Russian Federation, cooperates in the field of combating extremism with foreign states, their law enforcement agencies and special services, as well as with international organizations fighting extremism.

12. Combating child extremism
The target program “Prevention of homelessness, neglect and juvenile delinquency for 2007-2009” adopted by the city parliament of Kaluga in 2006, in particular, contained measures designed to develop in adolescents a rejection of Nazi paraphernalia and participation in unauthorized meetings.

13. Criticism of Russian state policy in the field of combating extremism
According to a number of journalists, in Russia at the beginning of the 21st century, the term “extremism” acquired a clearly negative meaning and is mainly used in state media for the purpose of:

creating a negative image and criminal prosecution of public activists, members of opposition movements, independent journalists;
creating a negative image of nationalist and/or religious movements and organizations, discrediting their positions and views and legitimizing their prohibition.

On June 9, 2011, during a discussion of the draft resolution of the plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on criminal cases on extremism, the speaker, Supreme Court Judge Vladimir Davydov, expressed concern that the legislation does not spell out the definition of the controversial concept of “social group”, and suggested that by introducing such a term, “The legislator wanted to highlight weak, unprotected groups, but did it extremely unsuccessfully.” It was stated that the Supreme Court plans, pending help from the legislature, to recommend that courts interpret “social groups” restrictively rather than expansively - that is, violations may be in relation to “socially weak groups” - pensioners, disabled people, orphans. However, in the adopted resolution the term “social group” was not interpreted in this way. However, it was pointed out that criticism in the media of officials (professional politicians), their actions and beliefs should not in itself be considered in all cases as an act aimed at humiliating the dignity of an individual or group of individuals, since in relation to these individuals the limits of acceptable criticism are wider than for private individuals.

This Resolution “On judicial practice in criminal cases involving extremist crimes” was adopted on June 28, 2011 and published in Rossiyskaya Gazeta on July 4.

The “Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism” of June 15, 2001 gives the following definition of the concept of “extremism” (clause 3, part 1, article 1):

National legal definitions

Legal definition in Russia

In Russia, the legal definition of what actions are considered extremist is contained in Article 1 of Federal Law No. 114-FZ “On Combating Extremist Activities.”

In accordance with the amendments of November 23, 2015, extremist activities (extremism) include:

According to the amendment adopted in November 2015, “The Bible, Koran, Tanakh and Ganjur, their contents and quotes from them cannot be recognized as extremist materials.”

Criticism

[…] revise the definition of extremism in the federal counter-extremism law to ensure that it only covers serious cases of hatred and violence […] clearly state the criteria that must be met in order to declare any material extremist

Legal definition in Belarus

“the activities of political parties, other public associations, religious and other organizations (hereinafter - organizations) or citizens of the Republic of Belarus, foreign citizens or stateless persons (hereinafter, unless otherwise indicated - citizens) in planning, organizing, preparing and performing actions, aimed at forcibly changing the constitutional system and (or) territorial integrity of the Republic of Belarus, seizing or retaining state power by unconstitutional means, creating illegal armed groups, carrying out terrorist activities, inciting racial, national or religious hatred or hatred, as well as social discord associated with violence or calls for violence, humiliation of national honor and dignity, organization and implementation of mass riots, hooliganism and acts of vandalism based on racial, national, religious hostility or discord, political or ideological hostility, as well as based on hostility or discord in relation to any social group, propaganda of exclusivity, superiority or inferiority of citizens based on their attitude to religion, social, racial, national, religious or linguistic affiliation, propaganda and public display, production and distribution of Nazi symbols or paraphernalia;”
“obstruction of the legitimate activities of state bodies, including the Central Commission of the Republic of Belarus for elections and holding republican referendums, election commissions, referendum commissions or commissions for conducting voting on the recall of a deputy, as well as the legitimate activities of officials of these bodies or commissions, committed with the use of violence, threats of its use, deception, bribery, as well as the use of violence or the threat of violence against relatives of these persons in order to impede the legitimate activities of these officials or force them to change the nature of such activities or out of revenge for the performance of their official duties; public calls for the specified activities and actions, their financing or other assistance in their implementation, including through the provision of real estate, telecommunications, educational, printing, other material and technical means or information services.”

In April 2016, liability for extremism was introduced in Belarus (both criminal and administrative). The innovations were the following:

Article 130 of the Criminal Code introduces liability for inciting social hostility and discord, punishable by a fine to imprisonment (up to 5 years);
Responsibility has been introduced “for the creation of an extremist formation, for the leadership of it or its structural unit” - restriction of freedom for up to 5 years or imprisonment from 3 to 7 years (in case of repeated violation of this article - restriction of freedom for a term of 3 to 5 years or imprisonment for period from 6 to 10 years).
Responsibility for “financing the activities of an extremist group” has been introduced - restriction of freedom for a term of up to 5 years or imprisonment for a term of 3 to 6 years.
It has been established that persons who promptly inform law enforcement agencies about its activities are exempt from criminal liability for creating an extremist group, leading it, as well as for financing its activities.
Administrative liability has been introduced for the dissemination of information products with calls for extremism (including the replication of materials not included in the extremist list).

New standards began to apply. In December 2016, a correspondent of the Russian news agency Regnum was detained and taken into custody, who was charged, among other things, with inciting “social hostility” (Part 1 of Article 130 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus).

Legal definitions in the US

Unlike jurisdictions such as the Russian Federation or the EU, in the United States the expression of extremist views is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution, and only specific actions are considered crimes in cases where they fall within the appropriate definitions in the law. The term “extremism” is not widely used in legal practice. Such crimes are often classified as “hate crimes” in some US states. This is a special legal qualification of a special kind of crimes against the person, committed under the influence of hatred towards persons of a different race or nationality, religion, ethnic origin, political beliefs, gender and sexual orientation, and people with disabilities. Such additional qualifications, aggravating guilt and toughening punishment, exist in some states of the United States and in a number of countries in Western and Central Europe, but are absent in other states and countries.

Prevention of teenage and youth extremism

In Russia, many schools and universities, educational authorities are developing special plans for the prevention of extremism, creating working groups, and conducting various preventive measures.

The target program “Prevention of homelessness, neglect and juvenile delinquency for 2007-2009”, adopted by the city parliament of Kaluga in 2006, in particular contained measures designed to develop in adolescents a rejection of Nazi paraphernalia and participation in unauthorized meetings.

A number of publications are devoted to the issues of preventing teenage and youth extremism.

Criminal prosecution for extremism in Russia

In Russia, articles of the Criminal Code providing for liability for extremism are applied very widely (most often under Part 1 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). In 2013-2015, the number of people convicted under these articles more than doubled.

The number of people convicted in the Russian Federation for extremist activities

Data on the number of people convicted under extremist articles by all Russian courts by year are as follows (the total number of people convicted under Articles 282, 282.1 and 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation):

Statistical data on the number of people convicted under extremist articles (280, 280.1, 282, 282.1-282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) in all courts of Russia for 2016 are as follows: 545 were convicted under basic qualifications, another 159 persons were charged under these articles in addition to other crimes. Of these, 60 people were sentenced to imprisonment. The total number of acquitted persons is 7 people. In 2017, 606 persons were convicted of basic qualifications, another 190 persons were charged in addition to other crimes. Of these, 88 people were sentenced to imprisonment, 367 received a suspended sentence. 6 people were acquitted. . In 2018, 553 people were convicted under basic qualifications; another 181 persons were charged under these articles in addition to other crimes. 88 persons were sentenced to real terms of imprisonment. 345 - to suspended sentences. 7 people were acquitted.

There are most likely more people convicted of hate crimes in Russia, since a number of articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provide for separate liability for committing a crime motivated by hatred - for example, under Part 2 of Article 116 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, beatings are classified both from hooligan motives and those inflicted on motives hatred. However, the Judicial Department under the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation does not highlight in its statistical reports which crimes the hate motive was imputed to.

Socio-demographic characteristics of those convicted of extremism

The socio-demographic composition of those convicted of extremist crimes can be determined quite accurately. The Judicial Department under the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation does not provide a separate description for each “extremist” article for 2013, but gives a general description of those convicted under Articles 275-284 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Of the 309 people convicted in 2013 under Articles 275-285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (convicted under the main article), the vast majority (227 convicted under the main article) were sentenced for extremist crimes. Therefore, it is unlikely that the socio-demographic composition of those convicted under Articles 275-284 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is very different from the socio-demographic composition of those convicted under Articles 282-282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The main socio-demographic characteristics of those convicted under Articles 274-285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and the circumstances of the crime are as follows (as of 2013):

Very high level of education. Of the 309 people convicted under these articles, 96 people (31%) had higher or incomplete higher education. For comparison, among those convicted in 2013 under all articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, only 8% had higher education.
Male predominance. Of the 309 people convicted under these articles, only 16 were women (5%). Moreover, among those convicted under all articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, there were almost three times as many women - 15%.
Low proportion of foreigners. Of the 309 convicted, only four did not have Russian citizenship.
More than half of those convicted (181 out of 309) committed a crime in the capitals of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation
Almost all of the convicts (308 out of 309) committed the crime while sober.
The majority of convicts (249 people - 80%) did not have a criminal record (including expunged ones) at the time of the crime. In general, among those convicted under all articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, those with previous convictions (including those with expunged convictions) accounted for 45% in 2013.

Amounts and types of punishments for extremism

The actual size and types of punishments imposed by the courts under Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation can be judged from the statistics of the Judicial Department at the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation for 2014. The main types of actually imposed punishment are correctional and community service. Of the 267 convicted under this article, imprisonment (real) was assigned to only 13 persons, 27 convicts received suspended sentences, 49 received fines, 97 received compulsory labor, and 60 received correctional labor.

Other restrictions

In addition, a person who is accused of an extremist crime (or convicted of committing one) is included in a special list of Rosfinmonitoring. This means that all bank accounts (including electronic ones) of this person are blocked. Such a person also does not have the right to issue a power of attorney from a notary or enter into an inheritance. Blocking the accounts of a person convicted of an extremist crime in Russia is not formally considered a criminal punishment. From blocked accounts, a convicted person has the right to withdraw no more than 10 thousand rubles per month for himself and a non-working family member. Moreover, each time to withdraw money, you must write an application, which the bank then approves with Rosfinmonitoring (the procedure takes, according to one of the convicts, two days). It is also allowed to pay loans (if taken before inclusion on the list) and taxes from a blocked account. Formally, it is not possible to leave the Rosfinmonitoring list. However, there is a known case where a person convicted of an extremist crime achieved his removal from the list after he was amnestied.

Partial liberalization of legislation in 2018

2018 was marked by a relaxation of legislation on criminal liability for crimes of an extremist nature and the practice of its application.

On June 7, during the “Direct Line with Vladimir Putin,” writer and State Duma deputy Sergei Shargunov drew the attention of the President of Russia to the fact that recently he has received many alarming signals about the initiation of criminal cases for likes and reposts, where there are no calls for violence, but there are only absurd and harsh judgments. The head of state replied that it was necessary to define the very concept of “extremism.” He pointed out that “there is no need to take everything to the point of insanity and absurdity.” And he asked the “Public Popular Front” to analyze the situation.

On September 20, 2018, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation adopted Resolution No. 32 “On amendments to Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated June 28, 2011 No. 11 “On judicial practice in criminal cases involving extremist crimes.” This resolution clarified that posting material on the Internet can be qualified under Art. 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation only in cases where it is established that the person who posted such material was aware of the intent of the act to violate the foundations of the constitutional order, and also had the goal of inciting hatred or enmity or humiliating the dignity of a person or group of persons on the basis of gender, race, nationality, language , origin, attitude to religion or belonging to any social group.

Almost simultaneously, Directive of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation of September 21, 2018 No. 602/27 “On strengthening prosecutorial supervision over the implementation of laws in identifying, suppressing, solving and investigating extremist crimes” was also issued, where it was explained (clause 1.12) that the goal inciting hatred is one of the main signs of a crime under Art. 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, that the absence of such a purpose excludes prosecution under this article, and the very fact of posting an image, audio or video file on the Internet, even if it contains signs of inciting hostility and hatred in the absence of other signs of a crime, does not constitute grounds for criminal prosecution.

Ultimately, on October 3, 2018, the President of the Russian Federation introduced two bills into the State Duma aimed at partial decriminalization of Art. 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In accordance with the amendments, it was proposed to declare criminally punishable only those actions aimed at inciting hatred or enmity, as well as humiliating the dignity of a person or group of persons on the basis of gender, race, nationality, language, origin, attitude to religion, as well as belonging to any or to a social group, committed publicly, including using the media or via the Internet, if they were committed by a person after he was brought to administrative responsibility for a similar act within one year. Whereas for the first violation, citizens will face an administrative fine of 10 thousand to 20 thousand rubles, or compulsory work for up to 100 hours, or administrative arrest for up to 15 days, and legal entities will face a fine of 250 thousand to 500 thousand rubles. For these purposes, the President of the Russian Federation proposed to supplement the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation with a new article 20.3.1.

This package of bills was quickly adopted by the State Duma. And already on December 27, the President signed federal laws amending Art. 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and on the addition of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation with Article 20.3.1. On December 29, 2018, both documents were published in Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Criticism of Russian state policy in the field of combating extremism

According to a number of journalists, in Russia at the beginning of the 21st century, the term “extremism” acquired a clearly negative meaning and is mainly used in state media for the purpose of:

There are known cases of criminal cases being initiated under Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for statements on the Internet (in particular, for insulting law enforcement officers - police officers, who are recognized as a “social group”).

This Resolution “On judicial practice in criminal cases involving extremist crimes” was adopted on June 28, 2011 and published in the Rossiyskaya Gazeta on July 4.

In a letter dated December 19, 2011, the Chairman of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly requested the opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On Combating Extremist Activities.” Based on this request, at the 91st plenary session (Venice, June 15-16, 2012), the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) issued an opinion on the Russian Federal Law “On Combating Extremist Activities.” From the point of view of the Venice Commission:

The Law on Extremism, due to its broad and imprecise use of words, especially in the “basic concepts” defined in the Law, such as the definition of “extremism”, “extremist activity”, “extremist organizations” or “extremist materials”, provides too broad discretion in its interpretation and application, which leads to arbitrariness.
The specific instruments provided by the Law for countering extremism raise questions regarding freedom of association and freedom of expression, which are guaranteed by the ECHR, and require adequate amendments.
As such, the Extremism Law may contribute to the imposition of disproportionate restrictions on the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights (in particular Articles 6, 9, 10 and 11) and the violation of the principles of legality, necessity and proportionality.

In light of the above comments, the Venice Commission recommends that this significant deficiency be corrected in relation to the definitions and instruments provided by the Law in order to bring them into line with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Scientologists

At the end of 2011, the religious association “Church of Scientology of Moscow” sent an appeal entitled “Analysis, criticism and proposals regarding the Federal Law of July 25, 2002 N 114-FZ “On Combating Extremist Activities”” to legislators and some regional courts of the Russian Federation. In response, many letters of support were received.

In November 2012, the independent popular science magazine “Law and Life”, No. 11 published an article by Church of Scientology lawyer Yu. L. Ershov “Revenge of obscurantism. Anti-extremist legislation deals another blow,” in which he expressed his opinion about gross violations (forgery of evidence, falsification, etc.) committed by the court and prosecutor’s office during the trial to recognize a number of books by L. Ron Hubbard as extremist. Ershov believes that examination of “extremist cases” is often based on the principle “paper will bear anything.” Also, in his article in Novaya Advocacy Gazeta, he compared the modern campaign against extremism with the Lysenkoism of our time.

Notes

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Extremism // Security: theory, paradigm, concept, culture. Dictionary-reference book / Author-comp. Professor V.F. Pilipenko. - Ed. 2nd, add. and processed - M.: PER SE-Press, 2005.
Coleman Peter T.; Bartoli Andrea. Addressing Extremism(English) (PDF) (unavailable link). The International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (ICCCR), Teachers College, Columbia University // The Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR), George Mason University. Retrieved April 10, 2011. Archived September 24, 2015.
Trofimov-Trofimov V. D. Extremism (Russian) (unavailable link)(2011). Retrieved July 5, 2011. Archived April 7, 2013.
Consumer extremism
Consumer extremism: modern trends and counteraction mechanisms
RESOLUTION 1344 (2003). On the threat to democracy from extremist parties and movements in Europe
Information about the document “Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism” (Russian). Consultant Plus. Retrieved April 11, 2011. Archived February 5, 2012.
Federal Law of July 25, 2002 No. 114-FZ (as amended on April 29, 2008) “On counteracting extremist activities” // Rossiyskaya Gazeta. - 2002. - No. 138-139, 07/30/2002. Consultant Plus
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