[JURIST] Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Ivan Sydoruk has said that the country should police Internet sites to prevent the spread of extremist material, according to the newspaper Kommersant [media website] Friday. Extremism has recently been a major concern for Russian politicians [JURIST report] due to deadly attacks on dark-skinned foreigners. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin [official website] signed a controversial law against extremism [JURIST report] that criminalized the following: incitement to racial hatred, publicly defending terrorism, "humiliating national merit," "public slander of state officials" and "hampering the lawful activity of state organs."

Kommersant noted that the legislature has not yet considered an Internet censorship law. Critics worry that anti-extremism laws in general could be used to silence political opponents. AFP has more.