Amnesty International claims that racist killings in Russia are out of control

BBC News:

The report into violent racism shows that at least 28 people were killed and 366 were assaulted in 2005.

This year there have already been a number of high-profile cases, including the death of a Senegalese student.

Amnesty condemns discrimination by the authorities and a failure to properly record or investigate racist crimes.

The Amnesty report, entitled "Russian Federation: Violent racism out of control", includes examples of police and prosecutors routinely classifying murders and serious assaults by skinhead extremists as lesser crimes of "hooliganism".

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said racist killings and violent attacks against foreigners, visible ethnic minorities and anti-racist campaigners in Russia were out of control.

"Some Russian authorities are turning a blind eye," she said. "Instead of seeing only 'hooliganism' in vicious organised attacks on students from African, south-east Asian countries and non-Slavic Russians from Chechnya, Russia's police and prosecutors need to tackle head-on the growing scourge of violent racism in Russia."

She said President Vladimir Putin's government should adopt a comprehensive "plan of action" to combat racism and anti-Semitism.

Russia: New report shows racist killings out of control

Xenophobia and human nature

Racism in Russia is out of control: Amnesty