Russia must tackle militant nationalism-Tatar leader

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) Russia is failing to tackle a resurgence of militant nationalism that has caused a wave of violence against ethnic and religious minorities, the president of Tatarstan, a mostly Muslim Russian region, said today.

Mintimer Shaimiyev, president of Tatarstan, an autonomous oil-rich republic located along the Volga river, said violent crimes by nationalists were going unpunished and could undermine Russian democracy in coming years.

''Unfortunately Russia is facing this problem. Extreme forms of nationalism are manifesting themselves. Russian chauvinism is very dangerous in a multinational, multicultural country like ours,'' he told a news conference in London.

''Even the tiniest manifestation of chauvinism should be severely punished under law. Unfortunately this was not done from the start,'' Shaimiyev said, speaking in Russian.

Racially-motivated attacks against dark-skinned foreigners, Jews and nationals from poorer ex-Soviet states have become common in recent years. Human rights groups say Russia is failing to punish those responsible.

A bomb killed 10 people in a multi-ethnic Moscow market in August, marking a dramatic escalation in the violence by far-right militants against immigrants. Attacks on synagogues have also increased across the country.

President Vladimir Putin has urged law-enforcement agencies to step up the fight against racism but rights groups say his latest campaign to purge ethnic criminal gangs from markets and expulsions of illegal immigrants may deepen racist sentiment.

Shaimiyev urged courts to punish those responsible for violent nationalistic crimes.

''To attribute such crimes to hooliganism sets a very dangerous precedent. In recent days again some young extremist groups have been acquitted...the main reason in my view is trial by jury. I think such crimes should not be decided by juries,'' Shaimiyev said.

This week, a jury in St Petersburg acquitted 17 young men charged with killing a Vietnamese student.

''If this trend is not tackled, it will undermine our democracy,'' Shaimiyev said ''Russia will pay a very high price.'' Tatarstan's population is more than half ethnic Tatar, most of whom are Muslim. Ethnic Russians comprise about 39 per cent.

REUTERS LL VV2043