Russian ultra-nationalist group banned by Supreme Court
Published 29 June, 2010, 21:13
This follows the Moscow city Court's decision which called the organisation extremist in April.
Further, a probe by Russian prosecutors found evidence that the Union promotes nationalism and its ideas are similar to those of Nazi Germany.
Beginning immediately, anyone proven to belong to the Slavic Union will face one year in prison, while the organizers could be sentenced to four-year terms.
The Union's leader, Dmitry Demushkin, agreed with the court decision but claimed that he was ready to appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights.
“We are promoting the revival of Russian culture and thinking,” Demushkin said. “We have branches in Bulgaria, Poland, and Ukraine. The movement has been functioning for 11 years, and there have never been any problems.”
Demushkin added that the Supreme Court had banned only the movement itself, not its symbols or its web site.
However, human rights activists believe that the Court’s decision will not affect the functioning of other radical nationalist movements in Russia.
“The ban of this very popular but not really powerful organization is just symbolic. It will have no influence on the country’s ultra right movements at all,” the head of SOVA analytical center, Galina Kozhevnikova, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. “But the ban is still very important for Russian society.”
Beginning immediately, anyone proven to belong to the Slavic Union will face one year in prison, while the organizers could be sentenced to four-year terms.
The Union's leader, Dmitry Demushkin, agreed with the court decision but claimed that he was ready to appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights.
“We are promoting the revival of Russian culture and thinking,” Demushkin said. “We have branches in Bulgaria, Poland, and Ukraine. The movement has been functioning for 11 years, and there have never been any problems.”
Demushkin added that the Supreme Court had banned only the movement itself, not its symbols or its web site.
However, human rights activists believe that the Court’s decision will not affect the functioning of other radical nationalist movements in Russia.
“The ban of this very popular but not really powerful organization is just symbolic. It will have no influence on the country’s ultra right movements at all,” the head of SOVA analytical center, Galina Kozhevnikova, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. “But the ban is still very important for Russian society.”
