Hate crimes on rise in Moscow
21 Jan 2009, 1846 hrs IST, PTI
MOSCOW: The Russian capital registered a 300 per cent surge in racial hate crimes in 2008, which claimed the lives of 47 non-whites, a senior police
official said here.
"In 2008, 47 non-whites were killed and 46 were physically assaulted, which represents 300 per cent rise in crimes against non-whites as compared to 2007," Moscow Police Chief, General Vladimir Pronin was quoted by Interfax news agency.
According to Moscow-based 'Sova' an NGO monitoring hate crimes in the country, Russia could be swept by a new wave of xenophobia due to financial crisis.
Mostly, Caucasians and Central Asians, who come to the Moscow and other major Russian cities in search of jobs, fall victim to racial crimes, they said.