Tajik national Sulaimon Saidov, who has become victim of hate crime in Russia, has applied to the European Court of Human Rights. 

According to the Civic Assistance Committee’s website, Sulaimon Saidov has applied to the European Court of Human Rights noting that the Russian authorities had investigated the case of attempted murder of him ineffectively.  They reportedly ignored the fact that the crime had been motivated by racial and ethnic hatred.  

The 60-year-old resident of Moscow, Sergey Tsaryov, fired at Saidov from pneumatic gun at the Kaluzhskaya subway station in Moscow on April 8, 2016. 

On August 18, 2018, the Cheryomushkinskiy court of Moscow sentenced Tsaryov to ten years and three months in prison.  The sentence followed his conviction on charges of attempted murder.

At the same time, despite witness statements as well as petitions and complaints of the victim, the court ignored the fact that the murderous assault had been motivated by racial and ethnic hatred according to the Civic Assistance Committee.          

Therefore, Saidov has decided to apply to the European Court of Human Rights.    

It is to be noted, the Tajik Embassy in Moscow was also insisting in April 2016 on instituting criminal proceedings against Tsaryov under the provisions of Article 115 of Russia’s Penal Code -- inciting national, racial, religious or ethnic hatred.

Racism in Russia appears mainly in the form of negative attitudes and actions by some Russians towards people who they do not consider ethnically Russian.  Traditionally, Russian racism included anti-Semitism, as well as hostility towards various ethnicities of Caucasus and Central Asia.

A monthly review of instances of xenophobia and radical nationalism in Russia for June 2018 released by SOVA Center (Center for information and analysis), in particular, notes that at least seven were injured during acts of xenophobic violence in Moscow and the Novosibirsk and Samara regions in June last year.  In total, since the start of the year, three were reportedly killed and 12 injured due to xenophobic attacks.  Such incidents were recorded in six Russian regions.