If we talk about the commitment of certain organizations, groups and individuals to extreme measures, positions, views regarding social activities, most often these phenomena are nothing more than extremism. Countering extremism is prescribed in the relevant articles of the legislation of the Russian Federation. This phenomenon spreads in the areas of public consciousness and psychology, ideology, morality, as well as in the relations between individual social groups and ethnic groups. Such types are also defined as political and religious extremism, when inappropriate relations are traced between parties and associations or between states and faiths.
Manifestations and consequences of extremism
Such a practice in its political aspect is expressed by various forms of activity that are outside the scope of the Constitution and even without violating its laws. All the same, these manifestations are extremism. Countering extremism depends on the degree of danger to society. Actions within constitutional limits can give rise to such acute phenomena as terrorism, insurgency, rebellion. The first option is a form of extremism and a criminal phenomenon of a sociopolitical sense. Typically, terrorism and extremism are caused by external and internal contradictions in the development of society in individual countries.
They pose a real threat to both society and the state, and the vital interests inherent in each individual. This threat is multifaceted, since there are many varieties of the phenomenon of extremism on a regional and global scale. Counteraction to extremism is in any case both within the country and in international relations. The essence of this phenomenon is the systematic, politically and socially motivated and ideologically justified use of violence. Even simple threats to use it to intimidate individuals are extremism. Since in this way criminals exercise control and management of the behavior of people to achieve their own goals by extremists.
Organized crime
In the phenomenon of terrorism, all elements are interconnected. Ideology includes an ideological and political platform, concepts, theories. Terrorist structures include both national and international organizations. To the extremist - nationalist, religious, right, left, their varieties are huge. Terrorist practice is the crown and main goal of organizing such a plan. In modern society there is no greater danger than extremism. Countering extremism is being developed in every country. For there is no place on Earth that this misfortune would not touch. Of course, our state is also very concerned about the growth of such manifestations.
Prevention
Legal opposition to extremism begins with the smallest. First of all, prevention. This is the preparation and implementation by the authorized bodies of a whole range of measures: socio-economic, political, educational, informational, legal, organizational, special operational-search and so on. They must identify and suppress terrorism and extremism in the bud, establish the reasons for their appearance, eliminate the conditions in which they appear, and minimize their consequences. In addition to the state, these tasks must be performed by all representatives of civil society.
Law of the Russian Federation
The relevant law on countering extremist activity stipulates that in the Russian Federation it is forbidden to create religious and public organizations and associations whose purpose or actions are extremism. This concept includes the following activities. Invalid:
- Forcibly change the constitutional system and violate the integrity of the Russian Federation.
- Publicly justify terrorism and its activities.
- Excite social, racial, national and religious discord.
- Promote the exclusivity, superiority or inferiority of a person on the grounds of his racial, social, religious, linguistic or national affiliation, his attitude to religion.
- Violate the rights, freedoms, legitimate interests of a citizen because of his racial, social, religious, linguistic or national affiliation, as well as about his attitude to religion.
- Obstruct the exercise of citizens ’voting rights, the opportunity to participate in referenda, and also unacceptably violate the secrecy of the vote, coupled with violence or the threat of its use.
- Obstruct the activities of state departments and self-government bodies, election commissions, any religious and public institutions and associations, coupled with violence or the threat of its use.
- To commit crimes for the reasons specified in paragraph “e” of the first part of Article 63 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
- To propagandize and publicly demonstrate Nazi symbols and paraphernalia, as well as those confusingly similar to them.
- Publicly call for the implementation of these acts, as well as sell extremist materials, produce and store them for mass distribution.
- Organize and prepare these acts, incite to their implementation.
- To finance these acts, to facilitate their organization, as well as the preparation and implementation, even by providing the base: material, technical or printing, telephone or any other type of communication. This also includes the provision of information plan services.
The legal aspect is confirmed by the law of the Russian Federation “On countering extremist activity”, which defines the concept of such an organization. This is a religious or public association, on which the court ruled to prohibit activities or liquidation in connection with the extremist orientation of this organization.
Ministry of Justice
Materials related to extremist and intended for publication are information on any media, documents calling for such illegal activities. They justify or justify the need for this orientation, policy. This includes the work of members of the VATAP of Germany, the Nazis of Italy. After all, they substantiate or justify racial and national superiority, the practice of committing crimes of the military or others, which are aimed at the partial or complete destruction of a certain social. racial, ethnic, national or religious community of people.
The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation and its regional bodies have the following powers in order to take measures to counter extremism:
- When revealing facts about the present signs of extremism in the work of a religious or social association, in principle, of any organization, a written warning is issued to it about the inadmissibility of such a policy.
- The law establishes cases of going to court with the filing of an application for the liquidation of this religious or public association.
- The court shall decide, in established cases, on the suspension of the activities of this association.
The organization’s leadership can be held accountable for extremism, the article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is appropriate. Lists of extremist materials on the Internet from the Ministry of Justice are being maintained and published on the Ministry’s website. And also the list of religious organizations and public associations is replenished, the activities of which are prohibited or suspended by a court decision in connection with their extremist orientation.
Criminal Code
Article 282 of the Criminal Code refers to the incitement of hatred or enmity and the humiliation of human dignity. An individual acting in this direction against an individual or group, calling for aggression, humiliating other individuals on the basis of race, gender, language, nationality, religion, origin, membership of a particular social group, using publicity or the media, shall be punished with depending on the severity of guilt. Firstly, he faces a fine of one hundred to three hundred thousand rubles, or in the amount of the convict’s income for a period of one to two years. Secondly, they can deprive him of the right to a certain position or activity for 36 months or award compulsory work for up to one hundred and eighty hours. Thirdly, he faces up to one year in prison or up to two years in prison.
If a person has done the same, but has used violence or the threat of using it, used his official position for this purpose, acted with an organized group, then the whole punishment increases significantly. This also applies to monetary compensation and imprisonment. Article 282 of the Criminal Code provides in this case either a fine of up to five hundred thousand rubles, or the convicted person’s income for 36 months. He may also be deprived of the right to hold a position of up to five years, awarded with compulsory labor for up to two hundred and forty hours, or correctional labor - for two years. Imprisonment - up to five years.
Strategy
In 2009, a National Security Strategy until 2020 was developed to counter extremist activities. The sources of such a threat are nationalist, radical, religious, ethnic structures. Their activities are aimed at violating the territorial integrity and unity of the Russian Federation, as well as at destabilizing the situation in the country, both social and domestic. This is a fundamental document that defines the goals, objectives and directions of the anti-extremism policy. It takes into account all the challenges and threats facing the state.
The bodies of state power of the Russian Federation and its constituent entities, local governments have joined forces of all civil society institutions to suppress extremist activity and create an atmosphere of intolerance towards the spread of any ideas of this kind. At the same time, ethnocultural diversity and interfaith harmony, interethnic civic unity are preserved. Religious extremism and terrorism receive a worthy rebuff, as, incidentally, all other types of activity that contradict the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
Concepts Used in the Strategy
There are several important statements that are explained in this document:
- The ideology of extremism as a system of ideas and views of a violent and illegal sense, presented as the only means of resolving racial, social, religious, national and political conflicts.
- Manifestations of extremism as socially wrongful and dangerous acts that are committed for political, racial, ideological reasons. They contribute to the emergence of religious or national hostility and hatred, interfaith, interethnic or regional conflicts.
- The subjects of countering extremism are state bodies. authorities of the Russian Federation and its subjects, local governments. In each of them, a department to combat extremism has been created. This includes all civilian organizations and individuals.
- Countering extremism is the activity of all entities, identifying, eliminating the causes of its manifestations, preventing, suppressing, revealing and investigating crimes of this kind. As well as minimizing and eliminating the consequences of terrorist and extremist acts.
- Radicalism is a commitment to extremist ideology. It contributes to the forcible change of the constitutional system and violation of the integrity of the Russian Federation.
Any such manifestations lead to a violation of civil peace, undermine public safety, pose a real threat to the
foundations of the constitutional system, inter-religious and interethnic harmony. The center for countering extremism under the Ministry of Internal Affairs is working tirelessly, preventing terrorist acts and neutralizing extremists.
Threats external and internal
Recently, the number of such threats, both internal and external, has significantly increased. The latter is the support by foreign organizations of extremist manifestations. So, they are trying to destabilize the situation in Russia. This also includes the activities of international terrorist organizations. Internal threats consist of extremist activities of religious and informal associations, as well as individuals. This phenomenon no longer knows the borders of individual countries, representing a global threat to the security of the whole world.
Well-known states use extremism as a tool with which they try to solve geopolitical issues and capture new areas of economic influence. To this end, foreign states deliberately distort history, revive fascism and Nazism. The most dangerous types of extremism are nationalistic, religious and political. Calls for violent acts are widely disseminated through information networks, involving more and more new people in such activities. Uncoordinated actions are being held, riots are being organized, terrorist acts are being committed. Today, an Islamic extremist is not necessarily a native Muslim. Any resident of Central Russia with Orthodox ancestors in many generations may well become him. The recruiting machine works vigilantly.
The rise of extremism
A negative phenomenon occurs wherever there is information telecommunication networks, including the Internet. It is with their help that new members are attracted to unlawful organizations. It is also a convenient way to coordinate the perpetrators of extremist crimes and spread the ideology of terrorism and extremism. The threat of subversive acts will continue as long as these channels and sources exist.
Religion is often used as a recruiting tool and a means to exacerbate interfaith conflict. The radical currents of Islam, for example, penetrate the territory of the Russian Federation and preach not only their own exclusiveness, but also the violent methods of spreading this faith. The ideologists of radical Islam are most often graduates of foreign theological centers. Attempts are being made to create training centers in various regions of the Russian Federation and even training camps organized by international extremist and terrorist organizations.