A/62/306 56. In his mission report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/4/19/Add.3), the Special Rapporteur, having pointed out that there was no official racist policy in the Russian Federation, noted the existence of a deep-seated dynamic of racism and xenophobia in Russian society centred around the following main factors: the upsurge in racist incidents and crimes, including those perpetrated by neo-Nazi groups, in which the degree of violence increasingly leads to killings of non-Slavic persons originating from Africa, Asia, the Arab world, Central Asia and the Caucasus; the extension of this violence to human rights defenders, intellectuals and students engaged in the fight against racism; the existence of a certain measure of impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of these acts, despite a substantial increase in recent months in prosecutions and convictions for acts motivated by racial hatred; the rise of anti-Semitism and other forms of religious intolerance, in particular Islamophobia; and the existence of certain political parties with racist and xenophobic platforms. 57. These manifestations are fuelled primarily by two important trends. On the one hand, the ideological basis for the rise in racist violence is the ethnic interpretation, by neo-Nazi and extremist groups and some political parties, of the political nationalism promoted by the Russian authorities to fill the ideological void that followed the demise of socialism and internationalism after the collapse of the Soviet Union. On the other hand, the deep social and economic crisis cutting across Russian society provides fertile ground for these racist and xenophobic platforms to spread to the grass-roots level. 58. Among his recommendations to the Government of the Russian Federation, the Special Rapporteur highlights the importance of officially recognizing the existence and increase of racism and xenophobia, and of expressing a strong political will to combat it; the elaboration of a Federation Plan of Action to combat racism and xenophobia, with the democratic participation of all national communities and human rights organizations; the establishment of an independent institution for the promotion and protection of human rights, primarily engaged in combating all forms of discrimination, particularly racial discrimination; the strengthening of the legal and judiciary systems to punish the perpetrators of manifestations and acts of racist violence more effectively; and, in parallel to the legal strategy, the elaboration of a cultural and ethical strategy to eradicate the root causes of racism and to establish a link between efforts to combat racism and xenophobia and the construction of a democratic, egalitarian and interactive multiculturalism. 59. The Special Rapporteur takes note of the statement made during the interactive dialogue by the Russian authorities, who consider that it is an exaggeration for the report to state that Russian society is facing an alarming trend towards racism and xenophobia. However, in the light of the persistence of racist and xenophobic violence, as attested to, among other things, by the recent arrest of the authors of a video showing a real or simulated racist crime, the Special Rapporteur maintains his overall analysis that there is in fact a dynamic of racism and xenophobia in Russian society and he reiterates his conclusions and recommendations. While the Special Rapporteur regrets the Russian authorities’ decision — unprecedented in the course of his mandate and his visits to more than a dozen countries — not to make comments on or amendments or factual corrections to his draft report, he would like to be able to continue to have a constructive dialogue with the Russian authorities in order to provide them with his support in combating racism and discrimination. 07-49048 17