Extremist crimes rate decreased in Bashkiria

UFA, 3 September 2019. /Bashinform News Agency, Ksenia Kalinina/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/.

In Bashkortostan, a decline in extremist crimes has been recorded. Nevertheless, residents of the region are prosecuted annually for crimes related to terrorism. The director of the Center for Humanitarian Research of the Ministry of Culture of Bashkiria, corresponding member of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Russian Federation Marat Mardanov said this at a round table on the Prevention and Counteraction to Extremism and Terrorism Ideology in Modern Society.

“Today is a memorable date: September 3 is the Solidarity Day in the Fight against Terrorism. Exactly 15 years ago, a tragedy occurred in Beslan - civilians, children who came to school on Knowledge Day died. Hundreds of lives were claimed by this tragedy. It will remain forever in our memory, especially among veterans of the anti-terror units, combatants, and the scientific and expert community that knows and evaluates the threats of terrorism. The issues that we discussed today as part of the round table are relevant. In everyday life, our country and especially the Middle East, the countries of Europe, know firsthand that terrorism is an extreme manifestation of extremism. Our task today is to identify the main prerequisites, trends, where it originates, where is the line that our young people cross when they take the first step towards radicalization, either they are politics, interethnic and interfaith relations”, the director of the Center for Humanitarian Research said.

According to the sociological data of the department, young people under 35 are at risk. They are more susceptible to the ideological influence of radical organizations than others. At the regional level, there are such threats as the growth of religious and nationalist extremism in the face of the international terrorist organizations Hizbut-Tahrir al-Islami, the Emirate of the Caucasus, as well as destructive organizations of religious orientation, Horde, AllaAyat, Jehovah's Witnesses, Church of Scientology.

According to the official data of the General Prosecutor's Office of Russia, a decline in extremist crimes was recorded in Bashkiria for three years: 18 crimes were recorded in 2016, 17 in 2017, 12 - last year.

The roundtable participants discussed the factors contributing to the emergence and spread of extremism and terrorism, as well as methods and ways to combat them in modern society.

The Chairman of the Assembly of Peoples RB, State Duma deputy Zugura Rakhmatullina noted that the tragedy in Beslan was one of the most terrible pages of national history, and it should never be repeated.

According to her, the relevant structures are doing everything in their power today, but terrorism should be combatted together.

The event ended with the flash mob “We are Against Terrorism!” prepared by the House of Friendship of Peoples of Bashkortostan.