Extremist Activity Research Articles

Особенности правовой оценки субъективных элементов составов преступлений, содержащих признаки специальных организованных форм экстремистской деятельности

The article draws attention to the special, legally significant characteristics of the subjective elements of crimes containing signs of special organized forms of extremist activity. The content of the forms of guilt is determined, with the allocation of general and special characteristics arising from the provisions of the Federal Law “On countering extremist activity” and the Decree of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation “On judicial practice in criminal cases on crimes of extremist orientation”. Separately, the characteristics of general and special subjects committing acts are presented, with signs of special organized forms of extremist activity.

Freedom of thought, speech and expression: some problems of formulation and determining boundaries in relation to the impact of a religious factor

The subject of study. The article examines certain aspects to realize freedom of thought and expression, as well as the acceptable limits. Freedom of thought, speech and expression issues are considered separately in the context of the religious component, its characteristics in the Islamic religion. The provisions of the main sources in the Muslim system of law – the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet and Messenger of Muhammad (May Allah bless him) have been studied in sufficient details. The legal analysis on the issues under consideration was carried out based on doctrinal opinions, the current Russian and international legal acts, judicial practice, including the practice of the European Court of Human Rights. The article describes extremism through the prism of freedom of thought, speech and expression. It is noted that extremist activity is one of the consequences of misinterpretation, true awareness and perception of freedom of thought, speech and expression.The purpose of the study. The main purpose of the study is to clarify the origins of conflicts in the process of realizing freedom of thought, speech and expression, and substantiate the hypothesis that freedom of thought, speech and expression should have certain boundaries, especially in context of the influence of the religious factor.The methodology of the study. The study is based on a dialectical approach to the disclosure of legal phenomena and processes using general scientific methods (systemic method, logical method, method of analysis and synthesis) and special scientific methods. Among the latter there are formal legal method, linguistic method, comparative legal method, which have found their application in the legal analysis to realize freedom of thought, speech and expression.Conclusions. As a result, it is emphasized that freedom of thought, speech and expression is the achievement of modern mankind, one of the foundations of a democratic system and an element of civil society. The state-guaranteed opportunity for individuals to exercise these freedoms in society is a guarantee of a "healthy" society in the legal sense. However, as practice shows, unlimited freedom leads to its abuse, thereby infringing on the freedoms of other individuals and therefore, freedom of speech and its expression presupposes the existence of boundaries outlined by the state in the interests of society. The specifics of freedom of thought, speech and expression in the Muslim system of law based on the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (May Allah bless him), is that this freedom ends where the border line begins, designated by the law of the Most High.

Historical and legal aspects of the formation and genesis of the concept of «extremism» in domestic legislation

The article is devoted to the analysis of the historical prerequisites for the emergence and genesis of the concept of "extremism" in legal science and Russian legislation. The history of the emergence of the term is investigated, the first manifestations of extremist activity in the Russian state are established, various points of view on the definition of this phenomenon are identified. The characteristic of the modern Russian legislation is given, the main problems are allocated. It is concluded that initially the concept of "extremism" was used exclusively in a political context. It is rational to consider the uprising of the Decembrists as the first moment of the manifestation of extremist activity in national history. The classifying feature that distinguishes extremism from ordinary crimes against state, known to Russian law since the time of the Pskov Judicial Charter, is the special peremptory ideological commitment of the subjects to the idea of overthrowing the state system by any means. Current Russian legislation uses the concept of "extremism" in a broader sense, but does not contain its unambiguous definition, which gives rise to significant difficulties in its interpretation and errors in legal qualifications.

Compliant Subjects?

The Crimean Tatars, a Muslim Turkic ethnic group, remain the most oppressed group in Crimea after the 2014 Russian annexation. The Ukrainian public tends to view them as obedient victims forced to accommodate Russian demands, while scholars mainly avoid the issue. My ethnographic fieldwork in Crimea, however, demonstrates that what might seem like obedient behavior from the outside is, in fact, an expression of agency. This reading is based on close-range observations and conversations with people who speak and behave in ways that initially appear as compliant acts, but which do in fact challenge Russian authorities—arguably more so than other overt forms of resistance in this context. I argue that the ability to decipher many Crimean Tatars’ behavior as tactics of resistance, depends on our understanding of authorities’ contrary expectations. Portrayed as religious fanatics and a security threat, Crimean Tatars are stereotyped as terrorists, likely to engage in extremist activity. In light of this, Crimean Tatars’ compliant behavior, expressed through patience and etiquette, festivity and humor, proves that narrative wrong. Furthermore, other seemingly compliant behaviors—such as accepting Russian passports in order to remain in Crimea—should be interpreted as an act of resistance to the political aims of state actors. By undermining the state’s aim to push out Crimean Tatars and increase the Slavic population, the decision to remain in Crimea in fact challenges state power, rather than affirms it.

Modeling of terrorist activity in RSO-A

The subject of the study is the modeling and forecasting of terrorist and extremist activity of RSO-A. This task is urgent, since terrorist activity around the world has remained very high in recent years and even a rough forecast allows us to take preventive measures in case of a possible aggravation of the situation. Usually, an analysis of the mechanisms of radicalization and the formation of extremist groups is used for forecasting. At the same time, the methods of game theory and machine learning and models of the spread of epidemic diseases are used. In all cases, the verification of models requires a large amount of initial information, which, as a rule, is missing. In addition, these models are applicable only for regions with a sufficiently high level of extremist and terrorist activity.The paper proposes a method for predicting terrorist and extremist activity for regions where its level is low. The method is based on the assumption that people who are not satisfied with their social status and do not see prospects for its improvement are involved in various radical groups and/or are inclined to extremism and terrorism. Since it is much easier to get into a radical group whose activities are not prohibited by law, the increase in the intensity of involvement in them outstrips the growth of extremist and terrorist activity and is its harbinger. The method is tested on the example of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, in which adherents of radical Islam are a typical radical group. It is shown that for RSO-A, terrorist activity in the region can be predicted by the intensity of involvement in radical groups with a lag of two years. The proposed model allows us to satisfactorily assess the change in terrorist activity in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania for the period 2015-2019.

A decision to suspend the activities of a public or religious association carrying out extremist activities as a prosecutor's response act

A decision to suspend the activities of a public or religious association carrying out extremist activities as a prosecutor's response act

Afghani crisis and the threat of Islamist extremism in Tajikistan

This article examines terrorist organizations that pose a threat to Tajikistan and analyzes their activities, media products and recruitment campaigns within the context of the Afghan crisis. Particular attention is paid to the rise to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the transformations that occurred during their year in power. It considers not only transformations in Afghanistan itself, but in the global jihadist movement as a whole. Expert interviews gathered during field research are also analyzed. The data collected during the field study are analyzed in addition to databases and academic papers already available in the public domain. Based on the data mentioned above, this article assesses the level of threat posed by various terrorist organizations and the possible prospects for the situation. It also examines the existing laws in the sphere of religious policy in the Republic of Tajikistan and their application. It examines how extremists adjust their recruitment campaigns and how it is reflected in their discourse. The article also reveals the peculiarities of relations between various extremist organizations that are active in Tajikistan or are composed of Tajik citizens and are involved in fighting in other countries. In addition, it investigates which organizations Tajik citizens are more likely to join and what determines their choice. The results of the article contain conclusions for each organization considered in accordance with the results of the study that has been conducted. These findings contribute to existing studies on extremism in general and on extremist activity in Tajikistan in particular against the background of the Afghan crisis. Therefore, it brings new arguments and perspectives to the existing academic debate on this topic.

Countering extremist activities of religious associations: International experience of legal regulation

Everyone can freely profess any religion, i. e. to be a member of a religious association or to be an atheist. This is what practically all existing legal norms concerning freedom of conscience and faith say. However, restrictions on the spread of new religious movements, destructive cults and sects, individual religious rites and ceremonies, and extremist worldviews are regularly introduced by legislatures in different countries. Such legislative acts can be divided into two main categories in accordance with the logic of law enforcement practice: prohibitive and restrictive. Prohibitive laws provide for a direct ban on any actions, restrictive ones provide for a number of conditions under which the norm is used as a means of partial prohibition. Prohibitive and restrictive measures against religious extremists are considered as the activity of the State to ensure the right to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. This article analyzes the international experience of legal regulation of the activities of destructive religious associations — new religious movements, cults and sects, in particular, countering their extremist activities, and also examines the possibility of implementing the norms of international law in this area.

Экономика и религия: теоретико-философское обоснование трудовых моделей поведения

When implementing national projects and programs for the economic development of Russian regions, much attention is paid to investment in human capital. Human capital is understood as knowledge, skills, health, which allow increasing social potential. Many factors are taken into account in international and Russian programs for the development of human capital. An analysis of the programs for the economic development of Russian regions shows that the religious factor in the context of human development is taken into account only in terms of the prevention and prevention of extremist activity. The authors come to the conclusion that this situation occurs due to the lack of theoretical and philosophical justification of labor behavior models.

EXTREMIST ORIENTATION OF A PERSON IN LEGAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE

The article raises the problem of extremism, which is considered through the prism of distortion of legal consciousness of youth, distortion of meaning of life and the formation of negative identity. Experience of research of extremist orientation and self-identity of convicts for extremist activity with selection types «Wrestler», «Defender», «Victim», «Seeker». The interrelation of the selected types of extremist orientation of convicts for extremism and their role in the crime («Organizer», «Accomplice», «Executor») is analyzed. Identified features of the identity of convicts for extremism, which, in fact, reflect the dynamics of their legal consciousness in the context of serving a sentence, allowed to identify programs for psychoprophylaxis and psychocorrection of extremist orientation of the individual in all its aspects (legal, social, pedagogical and psychological).

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ СПЕЦІАЛЬНИХ ЗНАНЬ ПРИ ДОСЛІДЖЕННІ ТЕКСТІВ ІЗ ЗАКЛИКАМИ ДО ПІДРИВУ... КОНСТИТУЦІЙНОГО ЛАДУ, ПОРУШЕННЯ ТЕРИТОРІАЛЬНОЇ ЦІЛІСНОСТІ І НЕДОТОРКАНОСТІ УКРАЇНИ

In a situation where our state has faced a significant number of threats from the Russian Federation, among which threats of information terrorism and extremism represent a significant part of the existing risks, the number of criminal investigations into the facts of committing such crimes has increased. The investigation of almost each of them is associated with the need to use particular knowledge to ensure completeness, comprehensiveness, objectivity and at the same time compliance with reasonable deadlines for pre-trial investigation. The peculiarity of a significant number of modern expert studies conducted in criminal proceedings on extremist crimes is that their objects are products of speech activity which find their expression in oral or written speech and are stored on a storage medium in graphic or digital forms. Both data storage materials and the speech product stored on them are subject to expert research. The aim of research is to analyse the practice of using the capabilities of forensic examination in order to study texts during the pre-trial investigation of crimes related to public calls for committing illegal actions aimed at undermining the constitutional order, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine; to reveal the potentials of linguistic expert examination and to justify the need for comprehensive psychological and linguistic studies of texts calling for the perpetration of illegal actions, as well as denial of the legitimacy of resolving legal issues during such examinations. The study substantiates that the most important tool for identifying, investigating and proving facts of extremist activities aimed at undermining the constitutional order, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine are forensic examination and expert research. Manifestations of speech extremism become frequent objects of study in forensic linguistic examination. When translating the signs of such extremist crimes into a meta-language of linguistic semantics, two groups of features are distinguished – semantic and pragmatic. By virtue of introduction of the methodology for conducting forensic linguistic, psychological and linguistic examination of materials in criminal proceedings related to the investigation of the facts of calls for extremism and terrorism, modern experts are armed with a system of linguistic categories and methods that must be used in the study of statements that have fallen into the legal sphere. Forensic examinations in such criminal proceedings are also a means of remedial action, since the correctness of its expert evaluation depends on an objective, methodically correct expert assessment of the disputed material. Due to the verbal nature of the objects of expert research, bodies of pre-trial investigation most often appoint forensic linguistic, psychological, psycho-linguistic, and other examinations, as well as various options for complex research.

К ВОПРОСУ О ВАРИАНТАХ МОДЕРНИЗАЦИИ ЗАКОНОДАТЕЛЬСТВА О ПРОТИВОДЕЙСТВИИ ЭКСТРЕМИСТСКОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ И ТЕРРОРИЗМУ В ПРАВОВОМ ПОЛЕ РОССИИ

К ВОПРОСУ О ВАРИАНТАХ МОДЕРНИЗАЦИИ ЗАКОНОДАТЕЛЬСТВА О ПРОТИВОДЕЙСТВИИ ЭКСТРЕМИСТСКОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ И ТЕРРОРИЗМУ В ПРАВОВОМ ПОЛЕ РОССИИ

Extremist activity of youth: the main types (on the example of some subjects of the Volga Federal District)

Extremist activity of youth: the main types (on the example of some subjects of the Volga Federal District)

Social-Psychological Causes of Youth Extremism in Krasnodar Region

The authors study socio-psychological determinants of extremist criminal behavior of young people in Krasnodar Region within the framework of socio-economic, national and geographical specifics of the territory. The main goal was to identify and specify subjective (inner) causes as an aggregate of personal psychological features, needs, emotions, motives, specifics of conscience and volition that shape the intent and determine the qualitative side of extremist crimes. The authors used both general scientific (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, etc.) and special (statistical and specific-sociological) methods of cognition. The dominant source of information was results of a questionnaire survey of 146 young people who were residents of Krasnodar Region aged 18–24 with the same level of education; they were university students (57 %), and students of vocational schools and colleges (28 %). The obtained data were used for SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) analysis, which identified regularities in the formation of the public opinion typical for young people in Krasnodar Region. Besides, the authors established a factor commonality which served as a logical proof that psychological patterns typical of the youth environment, stereotypes and models of behavior act as determinants of extremist actions. All of these allowed the authors to state that there are a number of negative trends, such as the mental acceptance of some extremist actions by young people, especially actions against people of a different race, nationality, religion; this acceptance is common for 20 % of people aged 18 to 24; young people do not know about 5 out of 13 types of extremist activities included in the federal legislation; extremist information is easily available on the Internet. To eliminate these trends, the authors suggest a number of measures: activization of legal information campaign; identification of students who are highly likely to commit extremist actions; creation of a system of model features of extremist behavior to be used in the preventive work in educational establishments of Krasnodar Region; designing and teaching, on the regional level, a special subject of preventive nature to high school, college and university students.

Racial and Religious Determinants of Terrorism in Western Europe

The gradual rapprochement between peoples, cultures, beliefs involve numerous conflicts with indigenous peoples on ethnic or religious grounds. These conflicts tend to turn into articulation of radical positions and extremist activities. The aim of this study was to analyze the current state of terrorist acts and identify the determinants of terrorism on racial and religious grounds in Western Europe. The statistical method, comparison, graphic analysis, analysis of the Global Index of Terrorism; The European Union reports on the situation and trends of terrorism, as well as the research on terrorism-related issues for 2011-2021, were used as empirical research methods. It is determined that the UK, France, Germany, Greece, Belgium, Spain, Italy, and Sweden are subject to the highest risk of terrorist acts. It was proved that the determinants of terrorism are localized in relation to key issues related to the state of the economic sphere, social development, as well as the spiritual and cultural sphere. Emphasis is placed on the need to overcome the problems associated with terrorist activities by formulating a policy of national means of resolving ethnic and racial issues and active international cooperation. Further research will identify key determinants of terrorism in Eastern Europe.

Современные стратегии противодействия специальным организованным формам экстремистской деятельности

Almost twenty years of operation of the Federal Law no. 114-FZ of July 25, 2002 “On Countering Extremist Activities” provide grounds for demonstrating the currently formed strategy of countering organized forms of extremist activity, presented in the development of the process of criminalization and criminal-legal adaptation of the acts enshrined in Articles 2821 and 2822 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The reproductive potential embedded in them made it possible to improve the mechanisms for combating the spread of extremist communities and extremist organizations. At the same time, the continuing growth of protest sentiments, an increase in the number and an increase in the level of organization of extremist communities and extremist organizations require the continuation of modernization of the course of criminal policy in this area. This is possible both by eliminating existing intra-industry conflicts and by deeper differentiation of responsibility.

Юридические основы уголовно-правового противодействия массовым беспорядкам на этапах зарождения и развития Русского централизованного государства

The article presents the author’s vision of the origin and development of the legal foundations of criminal law countering mass riots. It has been determined that riots have accompanied humanity since its inception. The formation of criminal law mechanisms for countering mass riots has a long and multi-stage path of formation and formation, taking into account the specifics of the development of Russian society and the state. At the stage of the formation of the centralized Russian state, acts with signs of mass disorder belonged to a group of crimes that infringe on the interests of the state. The concept of “raiser” was introduced into the official circulation. These included persons calling or organizing uprisings against the current legitimate government. Further evolution of state institutions, within the framework of the Cathedral Code of 1649, made it possible to single out a group of state crimes, the system of which included acts with signs of mass disorder. In the historical period under consideration, the acts classified as mass disorders by their objective nature under the conditions of the monarchical form of government were primarily aimed at the established state order. The study also points to an inextricable link and similarity in a number of legally significant characteristics of mass riots with extremist activities.

Experience in Developing and Testing a Model Program for Psychological and Educational Work with Persons Convicted of Terrorist and Extremist Crimes

Introduction: the steady increase in the number of the suspected, accused and convicted of terrorism and extremism, as well as cases of their participation in various emergencies, necessitates a personal, targeted approach to correctional psychological and educational work with them. The need for an individual approach, including in psychological and educational work with those convicted of terrorism and extremism, is also indicated by regulatory legal documents, in particular the Order of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia No. 1111 dated November 24, 2017 “On the organization of events on countering terrorism, extremist activity in penal enforcement institutions and bodies”. Study purpose: determination of the effectiveness of the tested model program for psychological correction of personality of persons convicted of terrorism and extremism-related crimes. Research methods: psychodiagnostics methods: the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) “Time perspective of convicts”, multidimensional self-attitude research questionnaire, a psychodiagnostic method “Life-purpose orientations”; a method for testing the program developed; a method for identifying statistical differences – the Student’s t-test; a method for comparative analysis of the psychodiagnostics results obtained following the testing results. Results: validation of the reliability of statistical differences with the help of the Student’s t-test determined the absence of significant changes in the indicators of convicts in the control group. Meaningful changes were observed in the indicators of convicts of the experimental group with the help of the following methods: ZTPI “Time perspective of convicts”, a multidimensional self-attitude research questionnaire and a psychodiagnostic method “Life-purpose orientations”. A comparative analysis of the results of psychodiagnostics of convicts in the experimental group before and after testing of the basic program proved the reliability of statistical differences with the help of the Student’s t-test determined the presence of positive personality changes in the behavioral, cognitive and affective spheres of the personality of convicts in the experimental group. Conclusions: assessment of the model program testing results revealed a sufficient degree of its effectiveness and the possibility of its implementation. The model program largely determined the content and structure of the section of the additional professional program – a professional development program for psychological service employees who accompany persons convicted of terrorist and extremist crimes.

Youth as an Object of Online Extremist Propaganda: The Case of the IS

A youth audience is the most vulnerable part of society as an object of influence of radical ideas. The authors argue that the most efficient tool of involving young people of different origin and confessional affiliation into the extremist activity on the present stage is social networks. Despite the fact that the practice of using communication networks in the Internet space by terrorist organizations have existed before, it was the information policy of the ISIS (and later IS) that was characterized by the greatest effectiveness, due to the creation of an integrated media structure, which consisted of numerous foundations and agencies (Al Furqan, Aynad, Itisaam, Al-Hayat, etc.), allowing them to spread their extremist religious and ideological doctrine on a global scale. The use of the widest range of high-quality media products in Internet media and social networks has expanded the organizations area of influence by attracting supporters not only from the Middle East region, but also from European countries and the Russian Federation. The case-study of the mechanisms for attracting European youth through social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, etc., to extremist activities under the auspices of the IS is held. In conclusion, the prospects for the influence of IS propaganda in social networks after the defeat of a terrorist organization in 2018 are assessed. As a methodological basis of the research, aspect and activity approaches, as well as analytical, statistical methods and the method of content analysis are used.

The Criminological Description and Prevention of School Shootings and Cyberbullying in Russia and Abroad

The authors analyze modern manifestations of violence in educational establishments, such as school shootings and cyberbullying. Cyberbullying and, to a greater degree, school shootings remain practically unresearched by Russian legal scholars, while foreign authors stress the necessity of their research with the purpose of identifying the determinants of deviant behavior and optimizing its prevention. The authors used the materials of criminal cases to study the criminological characteristics of cyberbullying and school shootings, and identified their close interconnection. They analyzed and specified the conceptual framework, offered a classification of school shootings, and described their main types. It is stated that mass murders in educational establishments are an independent criminal phenomenon not connected with the concept of a terrorist attack, involvement of young people into extremist activities or driving an adolescent to a suicide. A general criminological description of school shootings is presented: the authors show its dynamics in Russia and abroad and single out its key determinants. The criminological features of the personality of the criminal are described using the following indices: gender, age, education, specifics of upbringing, moral and psychological traits, specifics of goals and ambitions, etc. It is stated that in the overwhelming majority of cases attacks in educational establishments were carried out by males of 14–18 years old. Most perpetrators had skills in the use of firearms. The authors examined foreign publications on the topic and conducted a comparative analysis of the spread of school shootings and cyberbullying in Russia, the USA and the EU countries from the standpoint of situational approach. It was determined that the overwhelming number of cases of school shootings registered in the world history happened in the USA, while in the EU the cases were evidently sporadic. In Russia in the last seven years there has been a trend for annual mass murders in educational institutions. Using the analysis of foreign experience and the results of a large-scale interviewing of schoolchildren and teachers in different regions of Russia, the authors suggest measures of preventing school shootings and cyberbullying while taking into account specific national features.