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Zhirinovsky’s statements should be examined for expression of extremism-opinion

In his remarks in Poyedinok talk-show, Zhirinovsky, among other things, suggested limiting internal migration of North Caucasus people

Photo ITAR-TASS / Anton Novoderezhkin

Photo ITAR-TASS / Anton Novoderezhkin

MOSCOW, October 29 (Itar-Tass) - Gadzhimet Safaraliyev, member of the United Russia Party, head of the State Duma Nationalities Committee, addressed a letter to Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika to request examining statements LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky made in Poyedinok (The Duel) talk-show on television for manifestations of extremism.

“The request has the aim to establish whether the law on extremism applies to Zhirinovsky‘s pronouncements,” the MP told Itar-Tass. “We have no other aim. We just want to know whether or not he violated law,” he added. Safaraliyev believes he may receive the answer within a fortnight.

In his remarks in Poyedinok talk-show, Zhirinovsky, among other things, suggested limiting internal migration of North Caucasus people.

In his letter Safaraliyev points out that “the Russian Federation is one of the world’s largest multiethnic states, inhabited by 193 nationalities. “Most peoples of Russia have made huge contribution to the development of Russia’s statehood. The ethnic and religious factors are factors of national security, which is recorded in the Strategy of National Security of the Russian Federation up to 2020 and in the Strategy of State Nationalities Policy of the Russian Federation up to 2025,” the head of the committee notes.

“However, factors such as the spread of negative stereotypes regarding certain ethnoses and attempts at politisation of the ethnic and religious factors impact the development of interethnic relations in Russia,” he notes. “Against the background of present-day challenges and threats, internal and external, consolidation of civic and spiritual unity of the Russian nation is important as never before,” Safaraliyev stresses.

In this connection, the head of the committee regards Zhirinovsky’s statements as impermissible and asks that they be examined to see if they contain elements of crime.

A source in the lower house of parliament told ltar-Tass on October 28 that heads of the Duma factions would discuss this week the situation that resulted from Zhirinovsky’s statements and would try to find the ways of settling the conflict of the LDPR leader with heads of North Caucasus regions.

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