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law offers no clear definition of “political extremism,” which gives lawenforcement officials a wide berth in interpreting its meaning and arrestingpeople arbitrarily. Solely on the basis of this vague notion of politicalextremism, persons can be jailed for up to five years. 9Racial discrimination is reportedly widespread in Russia. Certain minorities,particularly the Roma, are targeted by the police with discriminatorytreatment in the form of racial profiling. Discrimination against minoritiesis also evident in the denial of access to registration, which in turn affectsaccess to basic services such as health services and education, becausevictims of this type of discrimination are not officially recognized in theRussian territory. Additionally, minorities in Russia experience discriminationin access to public accommodations (such as supermarkets), accessto employment, access to education, and in their portrayal by the media. 10Violence Against Women: 10 Reports / Year 20031.2 ChechnyaThe conflict in Chechnya has been the source of many human rights violationsin Russia. It has received much international attention, althoughaccess to the region has become increasingly restricted. Violations of economic,social and cultural rights are also a serious problem in Chechnya.OMCT conducted a training seminar in Ingushetia, the neighboringRepublic to Chechnya, on economic, social and cultural rights, and collectedmuch information on the situation in that regard. For more detailedinformation on this topic, please see OMCT’s alternative report to thisCommittee “Chechnya: No Means to Live: An Appraisal of Violations ofEconomic, Social and Cultural Rights.”The history of this conflict is complex and will only be treated brieflyhere. As the Soviet Union began opening up in the 1980s, there was moreallowance for the expression of nationalism and ethnic identity. Thus, inNovember 1991, Djokhar Doudaev, a former general in the Soviet armywho was elected president in Chechnya, declared Chechnya to be independentfrom Russia, although Chechnya was never recognized by Russiaor the international community as a sovereign state. In 1992, aConstitution was approved by the Parliament of Chechnya but in 1993,after a dispute with the Parliament, Doudaev installed an authoritarianregime. 11302