Moscow, Russia - Three Men Sentenced for Hate Crimes

Moscow, Russia - A Russian court on sentenced three young men to between 12 and 18 months of internal exile for a racially motivated beating of a prominent cultural figure.

The Moscow Izmailovsky court found the three men guilty of causing bodily harm to Zaur Tutov, a singer who serves as culture minister in his native Kabardino-Balkariya republic in southern Russia, out of ethnic hatred. Tutov has been hospitalized with a broken cheekbone, concussion and bruises. He said the assailants shouted "Russia is for Russians! Get out!"
A sentence of internal exile requires a person to live in a remote settlement.

Russia has seen an increase in hate crimes against dark-skinned foreigners, Jews and immigrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus.