Is Ethnic Discrimination a Matter of Common Sense in the Fight against Crime and Terrorism?

Abstract

Despite the prohibition of racial discrimination by Russian and international legislation, it remains in Russia and abroad. This problem has become especially acute in the context of the fight against terrorism. Since September 11, 2001, the popular view is that ethnically-selective control is illegal but effective, and therefore an indispensable means of countering the terrorist threat and other global security challenges. The member States of the Council of Europe (including Russia) as well as the United States have issued orders on the ethnically-selective control over citizens and related practices. This article is devoted to the analysis of such practices and orders in different regions of the Russian Federation. In addition, the article discusses similar international experiences in the fight against crime and terrorism. The empirical bases of the research are documentary sources: orders and programs of regional authorities and reports on the progress of their implementation; reports of police officers; materials of interdepartmental meetings, and other open-access documents that are posted on official websites of state institutions. It is concluded that ethnically-selective control is ineffective and leads to a number of negative consequences such as a decrease in public safety, a distrust of the police, the stigmatization of ethnic and national groups, and an increase of inter-ethnic tension in society. The use of alternative methods of combating terrorism and other types of crime can both improve efficiency and avoid discrimination.