Prosecutor's Supervision over Law Enforcement in Countering Extremism in the Conditions of Radicalization and Growth of the Protest Activity of Population: Issues of Theory and Practice

Abstract

In spite of the undertaken legislative, organizational, law enforcement and preventive measures, the Russian Federation witnesses a trend towards an increase in extremism crimes. The key methods of destabilizing the socio-political and socio-economic situation in Russia include the dissemination of political, religious, nationa­listic ideas that acquire the features of extremist ideology and provoke certain groups of citizens to forcible counteraction to the state; they also provoke the escalation of internal and external extremism threats from «pro-western political forces». It is stated that the most urgent problems currently include radicalization, and the involvement of underage children and young people into protest and extremism activities. The authors use the results of a survey of prosecution bodies’ employees in their analysis of the causes and conditions of the radicalization of Russian young people as well as the assessment of the effectiveness of the work of state bodies to counteract the activities of radical unions and groups using religious and extremist ideology. The authors present a brief analysis of the causes of radicalization, protest activities and manifestations of extremism among young people taking Southern and North Caucasian Federal Districts of the Russian Federation as examples. Using the conducted analysis of the condition of law and order and the practice of law enforcement in the sphere of counteracting extremism, the authors conclude that law enforcers make a number of mistakes in the application of criminal law norms with administrative prejudice (Art. 212.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), in the interpretation of the concept of «social group» when qualifying crimes of extremism, in the legal assessment of the activities of sub-culture (mainly, youth) movements and unions when prosecutors exercise their right to petition courts with administrative claims to recognize information materials as forbidden for dissemination on the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as on recognizing unions as extremist and banning their activities. In this connection, the authors draw attention to the necessity of changing approaches to the organization of procuratorial supervision over the enforcement of laws on counteracting extremism in the conditions of radicalization and a growing protect activity of the population, they point out deficiencies in the conducted work, and present a number of specific measures aimed at improving the effectiveness of procuratorial supervision in the sphere of counteracting extremism in the conditions of radicalization and a growing protest activity of the population.