Chairman of the Board of Chita Division Union of Russian people, the founder and chief editor of Russian Transbaikalia Alexander Yaremenko will appear before court on charges of publishing extremist materials.
According to the Russian media, Yaremenko is charged for the first part of article 282 of the Criminal Code (incitement to hatred or hostility, as well as humiliation of human dignity, by using the media). However, Yaremenko himself does not admit his guilt.
According to the examination of the Institute of Forensic Sciences of Russian FSB, a number of publications that have emerged in the Russian Transbaikalia in the period from February 9, 2007, to June 4, 2008, contain extremist publications.
Thus, the prosecution pointed out that in the articles "What is the Holocaust," "Open letter to Steven Spielberg," "The Holocaust through the eyes of Sherlock Holmes," "Is the 'gay' fun harmless?", "Haragun-Kondopoga-Stavropol. Who is next?", as well as several other texts contain offensive remarks and calling for the violent acts against non-Russians as well as those who follow Judaism.
Yaremenko has repeatedly received warnings from Zabaikalsky region public prosecutor's office on the inadmissibility of distributing extremist materials and conduction of extremist activity. Thus, the issue of Russian Transbaikalia as of February 22, 2008 (# 2) was found containing extremist material, the publication of which was banned on the RF territory.
In September and April 2008 the experts also recognized that the Russian Transbaikalia contained unacceptable materials for publication and distribution. The wording of Chita newspaper materials has been recognized as offensive for the representatives of public authorities and the existing socio-political order in Russia.