MOSCOW, November 19 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin called on law enforcement agencies on Tuesday to intensify crackdowns on extremism and ensure that guilty parties are properly punished.
“We need tougher action against all forms of extremism,” Putin said at an inauguration ceremony for military officers.
The president also stressed the importance of quality, objectivity and integrity in law enforcement work, which he said directly affects Russia’s business and investment climate.
Russia’s law on combating extremism, designed in part to help authorities prevent terrorism, has also drawn criticism by human rights advocates who claim it has often been used to clamp down on dissent rather than fight genuine threats to public order.
Eliminating extremism on the Internet has led to thousands of websites being blacklisted in recent months.
Russian authorities have been on high alert for terrorist activity after a bus was bombed in the southern city of Volgograd last month.
Anxieties are running particularly high amid terror threats made against the Winter Olympics, which is to be held in Sochi in February.
