Hate crimes in Russia

The Kommersant article about the diplomatic row between Russia and Poland which I linked to yesterday has a very interesting sidebar. Its intent is to question why Putin made such a fuss over the attack on Russian diplomats' kids in Warsaw, but it also serves to highlight how many hate crimes take place in Russia. Not that this is news to anyone familiar with life in this country. Note that in nearly all of the incidents listed, the victims were people of color. This list includes only incidents involving diplomatic personnel which were covered in the media, which means it's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of racially motivated hate crimes. The somewhat stilted translation belongs to Kommersant.

Unfriendly Acts which Couldn't Be Qualified as Crime

The reaction of the Russian authorities seems rather strange, all the more so since outrages against diplomats and members of their families are not so rare in Russia, even if we confine ourselves to the cases informed by the mass media.

On the night of April 10, 1998, three persons unknown assaulted the third secretary of the embassy of Tajikistan in Moscow, stealing his documents and 80 roubles. The culprits disappeared without a trace.

On April 8, 1998, some patriotically-minded citizens in St.Petersburg attacked the consul of Latvia and took him to a secret place where he was flogged. The corporal punishment was videofilmed.

On August 24, 1998, in a Moscow dwelling house a drunken neighbour attacked the ambassador of Congo to Russia. The diplomat with bruises was brought to hospital, and the scoundrel was detained by the police.

On the night of April 17, 1999, three drunken men stopped the car of the assistant of the Chinese military attache in Moscow, beat him and ran away. The Chinese officer informed the police, and the hooligans were eventually apprehended.

On July 1999, a drunken man attacked the counsellor of the embassy of Benin in Moscow, struck him and when he fell to the ground kicked and beat him. The culprit was stopped and arrested by the police.

On December 10, 2000, three skinheads assaulted and beat the second secretary of the embassy of Japan in Moscow, breaking his nose. The scoundrels ran away. The embassy sent a note of protest to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

On February 2, 2002, a group of young men dressed in black jackets with swastika assaulted and beat the third secretary of the embassy of Kenya. They ran away.

On August 5, 2002, six teenagers assaulted the 16-year-old son of the first secretary of the embassy of Cameroun. They beat the boy who had to be taken to hospital. The embassy sent a note of protest to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The police apprehended the culprits.

On November 7, 2002, six persons unknown beat the ambassador of Ghana to Russia and his car driver. The Russian Foreign Ministry denounced the assault and expressed regret.

On June 16, 2003, eight teenagers assaulted the counselor of the Chinese embassy, beat him, took his Panasonic tape recorder and ran away.

On the night of June 1, 2004, several men beat the sons of the attache of the Libyan embassy in St.Petersburg. One of them died in hospital later. The embassy sent a note of protest to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The culprits have not been found.

On June 8, 2004, the son of the Mongolian consul general was killed in Irkutsk by persons unknown.

On December 27, 2004, an unknown man struck the wife of the first counsellor of the Mongolian embassy in Russia. The woman was brought to hospital with a serious brain injury. The results of the investigation have not been disclosed.