Oleg Salnikov, author of the article "Ordinary Fascism Attempts to Take Root on These Isles" published by the newspaper Gubernskiye Vedomosti, has been receiving death threats, according to the Glasnost Defence Foundation (GDF) . The story about an extremist organisation led by two former law enforcement officers was also posted on the website of the Sakhalin-Kurily news agency, triggering a torrent of death threats to the author and his family.
After white supremacists started following the journalist, he was compelled to turn for help to the FSB (Federal Security Service).
Members of the extremist organisation are now on trial, but none of them is under arrest because under Article 282 of the RF Criminal Code ("Instigation of interethnic, racial or religious hostility") the violation is not deemed to be "grave", and although in theory this kind of offense is punishable by imprisonment, there have been few, if any, precedents of anybody sent to jail on those charges. Even if the guilt of the accused is proven in court, they are likely to be sentenced to several days of correctional labour.
