This section focuses on monitoring and analyzing various forms of xenophobia and intolerance, primarily related to the activities of ethno-nationalist movements. We are particularly interested in examining ethnic and religious xenophobia. Our monitoring and analysis in this area has been conducted systematically since 2004, continuing the long-standing work of the Panorama Center on this topic.
In addition to ethnic and religious xenophobia, we also partly focus on other types of intolerance, such as attacks on people due to their sexual orientation or ideologically motivated attacks on the homeless. Our monitoring covers all of the above-mentioned phenomena occurring on the territory of Russia. We are the only Russian organization addressing this diverse range of issues related to intolerance.
However, due to our limited resources, we cannot comprehensively cover the full breadth of intolerance-related phenomena. For example, we do not explore gender-based intolerance or non-violent forms of discrimination, such as in labor relations. Additionally, since 2009, we have not been able to monitor ethnic and religious intolerance (hate speech) in the media and on the internet in a systematic manner.
Our objectives also include gathering information on victims of xenophobic violence. While we are usually unable to assist them directly, we can refer them to allied organizations that provide such support.
Our primary sources of information are mass media and official websites (of courts, prosecutor's offices, police, and Investigative Committee units). We also monitor blogs, forums, and social network accounts, including those belonging to nationalists. Occasionally, information comes from victims of attacks or witnesses who contact us or allied human rights organizations.
We maintain an open database of all hate crime incidents (both violence and vandalism) we record and criminal convictions under anti-extremist and related Criminal Code articles. Crimes and punishments are categorized and can be sorted by several parameters. Database search results typically include links to relevant news items. Along with other groupings, we classify sentences as appropriate, inappropriate, uncertain, or lacking sufficient data.
We strive to verify unofficially reported information whenever possible, but errors may occur. This is particularly true for hate crimes, as we can only determine the perpetrator's motive through circumstantial evidence. Our data on hate crimes are likely underreported and information on law enforcement practices remains incomplete. However, more comprehensive data are not currently available in Russia, and we believe that our consistent monitoring methodology allows us to identify trends.
We cannot translate all news into English due to resource limitations. Therefore, the News Releases subsection contains only selected news items and monthly reviews.
We place special emphasis on hate crimes, particularly hate-motivated violence. Hate crimes are common criminal offenses motivated by bias towards a specific group of people. It's important to note that our information's completeness varies by region. Our focus is on criminal manifestations of ethnic and religious xenophobia, regardless of a specific ethnic or religious community, in whose name or against whom the acts are committed.
Another priority area of our work is the systematic collection of information on the political activities of organizations, movements, and groups publicly identifying as Russian nationalists. These movements often advocate aggressive forms of ethno-nationalism. Their supporters believe that a political nation can only be based on the principle of ethnic community, often defining ethnicity within a crude biologistic framework that assumes ethnic ties are rooted in blood and genetic kinship.
While our primary focus is on Russian ethno-nationalists, we also monitor other movements for various reasons, including groups that cooperate with far-right organizations, participate in their actions, or carry out ideologically motivated attacks.
Unfortunately, we are unable to monitor the activities of nationalist movements among ethnic minorities in Russia, primarily due to our lack of proficiency in relevant languages and limited information from the regions. However, from a political perspective, Russian nationalism remains particularly significant for the country as a whole.
Our third monitoring area focuses on state activities aimed at countering hate crimes, incitement to hatred, and the political activities of nationalists. This monitoring covers all types of nationalists and forms of xenophobia. Since 2004, we have been tracking the enforcement of anti-extremism legislation based on the 2002 law "On Combating Extremist Activity," including related articles in the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses.
The actions of law enforcement agencies vary in their degree of appropriateness, even when directed against those holding radical xenophobic views. When examining criminal and administrative cases or decisions to ban materials or organizations, we often lack sufficient information to assess the appropriateness of the authorities' actions. Even when we have such information, we base our judgment solely on the merits of the state's claims setting aside any procedural violations. Cases we consider clearly inappropriate are included in the news subsection of another section on our website. Cases of uncertain validity appear in both sections, with our commentaries outlined in the news item text.
The Reports and Analyses subsection features analytics by our authors, periodic and other reports.
A separate subsection contains selected Conference Papers and Other Documents.
