MOSCOW. April 28 (Interfax) - Twenty-eight extremist and 19 terrorist organizations are currently banned in Russia, Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika said in his report released to the Federation Council on Saturday.
"We are talking about public and religious associations on which there are court rulings in legal force ordering their closure or banning them under the current legislation on the prevention of extremist and terrorist activities, Chaika said.
Chaika said he believes "there is no other way but to focus the efforts made by prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, and public bodies" in the fight against terrorism and extremism.
For this reason, the Prosecutor General's Office has proposed to make changes to the Criminal Code to protect the interests of political parties, voters' rights, and other electoral associations.
Chaika believes one of the problems is the travel by Muslim youth to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and other countries of the Middle East. Upon returning from these countries, these people begin promoting "non-traditional currents of Islam, bring extremist literature, and are often members of extremist and terrorist organizations," Chaika said,
In 2011 alone, 100 people left Dagestan to study in religious centers abroad. The number of such people exceeded 1,500 in the past decade.