Thursday, June 15, 2006

[Russia] Ethnic Profiling in the Moscow Metro / Open Society Justice Initiative and JURIX, June 2006

PDF - http://www.justiceinitiative.org/db/resource2/fs/?file_id=17156
"The study employed the same scientific means to quantify the practice in Moscow as were used to measure racial profiling in the United States and United Kingdom. The report proves not only the pervasiveness of ethnic profiling in the Moscow Metro but also its futility, as the study concludes that these stops rarely result in arrest or even uncover minor administrative infractions. "A city like Moscow that has been the target of terrorist attacks simply cannot afford to have police wasting time and resources by stopping anyone who looks different," said Goldston. "It is ineffective, perpetuates discrimination and violates international human rights norms."
In addition to giving a scientific measure of racial profiling, the report provides recommendations for reforming the Moscow Metro police's practices, including devising stop-and-search guidelines based on behavior and other objective factors rather than apparent ethnicity, and amending legislative provisions so that patrol police are not responsible for collecting fines for document violations."