On the Prevention of Extremism

This year, our country celebrated the 75th anniversary of liberation from fascist invaders during the Great Patriotic War. The tragic consequences of that war for the Belarusian people are widely known. In the subsequent post-war years, society developed a firm rejection of any war and aggression; during the years of independence, Belarusian soldiers have not participated in any armed conflict as a belligerent party. The country's leadership consistently puts forward exclusively peaceful initiatives on the international stage, advocating for friendly relations with neighboring and distant states and peoples.

It would seem that, given the situation in the country, there can be no place for manifestations of extremism, especially in its most abhorrent form – Nazism. However, unfortunately, isolated, albeit not numerous, instances of such manifestations still occur, as evidenced by the law enforcement practice of the republic's law enforcement agencies, including in the Vitebsk region.

For some reason, some young people consider it "cool" to post Nazi symbols and attributes on their social media pages, and to desecrate memorial signs commemorating war victims with Nazi swastikas. The fact that such "cool guys" have a deformed consciousness, ignorance of history, and a lack of moral principles is beyond doubt, but it causes bitterness and regret. However, these qualities do not exempt them from responsibility for such actions.

The norms of the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses provide for responsibility for the propaganda of Nazi symbols and attributes (Article 17.10) and the dissemination of extremist products (Article 17.11) – a fine for an individual up to 10, 20, 50 base amounts (depending on the specific offense), for a legal entity – up to 200 base amounts.

The Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus establishes responsibility for inciting racial, national enmity or hatred, desecration of monuments to the defenders of the Fatherland, their graves, and mass graves of the defenders of the Fatherland. Such crimes are punishable not only by a more significant fine but also by imprisonment.

Unfortunately, this year there have been numerous cases of individuals being brought to administrative and criminal liability for such offenses.

The internal affairs bodies and state security of the region are constantly working to prevent manifestations of extremism. Preventive measures were taken in the necessary volumes and in a timely manner, which made it possible to suppress or prevent many offenses and crimes, including those of an extremist nature.

Senior Assistant Prosecutor of the Region V. Belous.