MARKET BOMBERS RECEIVE SEVERE SENTENCES

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 001424 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI RS SUBJECT: MARKET BOMBERS RECEIVE SEVERE SENTENCES Classified By: Political M/C Alice G. Wells. Reason: 1.4 (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: On May 15, the ultra-nationalist perpetrators of a 2006 Moscow bombing, in which 14 people were killed, were given severe sentences up to life imprisonment, by a Moscow court. Cherkizovskiy market, where the bombing took place, is known to be frequented by Chinese, Vietnamese, and others migrants from Asia. The verdict and sentencing followed a relatively quick trial. Human rights advocates were pleased by the stiff sentences but continue to be dismayed by the lack of effort in prosecuting other hate-motivated crimes. End summary. Bombers Receive Stiff Sentences And the Adoration of their Peers -------------- ¶2. (U) On May 15, a Moscow city court handed out stiff sentences to eight members of the military-patriotic group "Spas" who were convicted of the August 21, 2006 bombing of the Cherkizovskiy market in northeast Moscow. Four received life sentences, one received 20 years in prison, one 13 years, and two received two years. The bombing targeted migrants from China, Vietnam and other Asian countries who were known to shop and work at the market. Fourteen people were killed and 47 were seriously injured when the bomb exploded. Those sentenced were all known members of the ultra-nationalist, military-patriotic group "Spas" whose leader, Nikolay Korolyov, planned and participated in the attack and received a life sentence. According to the newspaper Izvestiya, Korolyov is the ideological leader of right-wing "skinheads" in Russia having once written in prison what he titled the "New Testament" for skinheads. ¶3. (U) According to news reports, at the sentencing, the convicts were lauded by fellow members of Spas who showed up in the courtroom en mass. Dmitriy Demushkin, head of the ultra-nationalist organization Slavic Union, also attended, along with his brethren. After the sentences were read and before the convicts were led from the room, the members of Slavic Union applauded the eight convicts and shouted "Hail to Russia" and "Hail to the Heroes." A Surprising Case -------------- ¶4. (C) Galina Kozhevnikova, Deputy Director of the Center for Information and Analysis "SOVA", was pleased by the verdict, but she hedged her bets on whether this case could be considered part of an effort by Russian law enforcement to get tougher on hate crimes. According to Kozhevnikova, given the serious nature of the crime, the sentences meted out were logical and expected. She pointed out that the guilt of the offenders was never in doubt. They were quickly apprehended after the market bombing -- not by the police but by private guards at the market -- they confessed to the crimes and there was other clear evidence of their guilt. ¶5. (C) Kozhevnikova said many other cases associated with extremist groups have yet to be solved. She called the Cherkizovskiy case "surprisingly" clear cut but noted that most hate crimes remain unsolved, including five explosions which targeted minorities last year. Given manpower and resource constraints, Kozhevnikova doubted that law enforcement would be in a position to seriously combat neo-fascist crimes (including assaults, murder and terrorist acts). ¶6. (C) Kozhevnikova said she expected the number of hate crimes committed each year to grow. Searching the internet, she said she found almost 100 "military-patriotic" clubs similar to Spas. Much like Spas, these groups recruit former Special Forces soldiers to teach fighting techniques and methods to young people while instilling ultra-right-wing ideology. She said that law enforcement cannot control these groups due to their secretive nature, and other government institutions appear equally powerless. While terming the verdict and sentences against the eight defendants in the Cherkizovskiy case a success, Kozhevnikova nevertheless questioned whether they would serve as a deterrent given the mind-set of these neo-fascists, who view the defendants as heroes. RUSSELL