Public Council of the NCFD makes statement to citizens and media

An appeal by the Public Council of the North Caucasus Federal
 District (NCFD) to the citizens, media, law-enforcement agencies and
 public organizations of Russia.

Concerned about attempts to divide the citizens of Russia according to
ethnic and religious backgrounds and interpret the criminal offense of
ethnic conflict, we, the members of the Public Council of the NCFD:

- Express our condolences to all the victims in the recent events in
Moscow and Rostov;

- Affirm the need for an open and objective inquiry into the crimes
committed. No attempts on human life, regardless of their motives,
should go unpunished.

- Affirm that the media, by highlighting the ethnic or religious
origins of someone suspected of committing a crime, in fact helps to
foster ethnic and religious hatred and division of Russian citizens
according to ethnic and religious lines, and thus contribute to
undermining the constitutional foundations of the Russian Federation;

- Believe that the social and political organizations who make calls
to restrict the freedom of movement and residence of citizens of the
Russian Federation within its territory in connection with their
ethnic and religious affiliation should be recognized as extremists
and their activities should be outlawed;

- Urge the law-enforcement agencies not to emphasize the ethnicity or
religion of those suspected of committing crimes in their official
news reports, and also eliminate the possibility of releasing a
suspect on grounds of corruption.

We invite all people of goodwill who cherish the rights and liberties
of their citizens and who care about the future of Russia to actively
discourage all attempts to bring destructive ideas of ethnic hatred to
our multicultural society.