30 Racist Murders Committed in Russia This Year — Armenian Diaspora Leader

From: http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/05/31/racistmurders.shtml

Created: 31.05.2006 15:58 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:58 MSK

30 murders motivated by ethnic and religious hatred have been committed in Russia this year, president of the Union of Armenians in Russia Ara Abramyan said. He added that 390 racially motivated attacks had been registered in Russia in 2005, and that seven Armenians had been killed in the country this year alone, Ekho Moskvy radio reported Wednesday.

The Armenian diaspora leader urged Russia to develop a comprehensive approach to fighting xenophobia and racial hatred crimes and stressed that society should condemn members of radical nationalist groups, RIA Novosti quotes Abramyan as saying.

“They must know that they have no place in society,” he said, adding that society should start an open dialogue with young people on these sensitive issues.

Extremism and xenophobia in Russia have been in the spotlight following a wave of race-hate attacks across the country and the publication of a report by Amnesty International attacking the government for not doing enough to combat the problem.

Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev said on May 17 that some 6,000 young people under the age of 18 were involved in extremist activities in Russia.