Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> JURIST - The Paper Chase

Legal News

: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Russia court bans neo-Nazi group for extremist ideology

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The Moscow City Court ruled Tuesday that the Slavic Union (SS) violates Russia's extremism laws, banning the organization. The SS, whose initials are the same as the Nazi paramilitary, was one of Russia's largest neo-Nazi organizations. City prosecutors initiated the action, accusing the group of promoting nationalistic supremacy similar to the ideology of Nazi Germany. SS leader Dmitry Dyomushkin says he plans to appeal the ban. He warned that the ban will anger radical ultranationalists into retaliation. Earlier this month, a Moscow City Court judge known for presiding over cases involving neo-Nazi groups was killed while leaving his apartment. Russia is currently struggling to limit hate crimes, which decreased in 2009 according to the SOVA Center. Last month, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office banned Adolf Hitler's book Mein Kampf, finding it in violation of laws against extremism. In December, the Russian Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision to shut down the Taganrog Jehovah's Witness congregation and ban the distribution of 34 Jehovah's Witness publications, finding both the Jehovah's Witness congregation and the publications to be extremist. In 2007, the Russian parliament approved legislative amendments to change the prevailing definition of extremist crime in Russian law to include activities taken for "political or ideological hatred."

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 28, 2010 (boomark / email).