«A Double-Edged Sword» or a Conflict of Contradictions: the Fight Against Extremism and the Preservation of Freedom of Conscience

The article is devoted to elucidating the issue of determining the tasks in the state policy of Russia to combat religious extremism. The author examines the evolution of the concept of extremism used in the modern legislation of the Russian Federation. Analyzing the conceptual approaches to combating extremism and the declared principles according to which acts are recognized as extremist, the author of the article examines the evolution of the authorities› awareness of the danger of this phenomenon. The study explains the conflict of contradictions arising in modern Russia: the fight against extremism as a way to protect the foundations of the constitutional system and state security and freedom of conscience and religion as one of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the author examines situations when countering religious extremism affected the implementation of constitutional human rights and freedoms to freedom of conscience and religion. Despite such contradictions arising in the fight against extremism, there is a principle of differentiation between the fight against extremism and violations of freedom of conscience, which is reflected in the Federal Legislation on countering extremist activities, as well as in the practice of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. This principle and its main purpose constitute the objective of the study and they are designed to protect freedom of conscience from infringing actions aimed at combating extremism, while condemning and suppressing extremist activity itself. It should be noted that in this article extremism and the signs that make it up would be considered from the point of view of the concept enshrined in Russian law.

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