By Elizabeth A. Conger
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – In the aftermath of last week’s twin suicide bombings in the Moscow metro, ethnic minorities living in Russia have expressed concern over the potential for violent backlash. The Moscow-based Sova Center, which monitors racially motivated attacks, already recorded assaults on at least five members of ethnic minorities since the attacks, and estimate that the true number is much higher.

Among those attacked were three women, including a seventeen-year-old Armenian girl, and two women wearing headscarves. Galina Kozhevnikova, deputy director of the Sova Center, reported that the seventeen-year-old girl “was beaten up in the street, her hair torn, face injured, her clothes torn,” because she appeared Muslim.

Kozhevnikova also said that the number of attacks is undoubtedly higher, as minorities are often afraid to report attacks, and the police are frequently hesitant to investigate attacks.

She said: “We know that many people who don’t have a Slavic appearance have consciously avoided going out in public in the days following the attack. They are afraid of attacks.”

Recent remarks and provocative rhetoric by Russian politicians have added further fuel to fears. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pledged, on the day after the attacks, that the Russian government would “drag” terrorists “from the depths of the sewer.”  On Thursday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told police and security forces in Dagestan to use tougher, “more cruel” measures to fight the “scum” who are responsible for the terrorist attacks.

According to Radio Free Europe, State Duma Deputy Aleksandr Gurov claimed that concerns over ‘political correctness’ were preventing Russian authorities from effectively dealing with terrorism. He said:

“How much can we play with this so-called tolerance?”

Aleksandr Verkhovsky, director of the Sova Center, said that the “over-the-top rhetoric” by Russian politicians “is destructive.” He added: “It encourages negative emotions. This is the prime minister speaking, not some common citizen talking in the kitchen.”

Abdullah Duduyev, editor of the Chechen-language magazine “Dosh,” said that the Chechens in Moscow were “saddened” the metro bombings.

He added: “Attitudes toward us have gotten worse . . . When two Muslim women were beaten up in the metro, not a single person in the crowded wagon stuck up for them. This shows the mood of society. Stress, fear, and grief are visible on people’s faces. It is impossible to hide the aggression people feel toward outsiders.”

For more information, please see:

Hurriyet Daily News – Moscow’s minorities fear retribution in bombing’s aftermath – 2 April 2010

AP – Russia’s Medvedev promises ‘crueler measures’ – 1 April 2010

Radio Free Europe – For Moscow’s Ethnic Minorities, A Fresh Sense of Fear – 1 April 2010

Dawn.com – Fear of anti-Muslim backlash after Russia blast – 30 March 2010