This year, 108 persons, including Caucasian natives, became victims of racism in Russia

The Moscow Human Rights Bureau has disseminated a report according to which this year xenophobia has killed 108 persons, natives from the Caucasus among them.

"In January-September 2008, at least 238 attacks motivated by xenophobia were registered, in which 108 persons perished and least 235 were injured," runs the statement of human rights activists that has arrived to the "Interfax".

Experts of the Bureau emphasize that, despite of decrease in number of such attacks in summer, "since August, the process has reversed."

"A significant number of Russians on the list of casualties and victims means in most cases not a sudden splash of Russophobia but more frequent skinheads' attacks on representatives of other subcultures, including anti-fascists," the statement notes.

According to the Bureau, in September 2008, most of attacks were accomplished in Moscow; then go the Nizhniy Novgorod Region, St-Petersburg, Kaluga Region, Dagestan and Chelyabinsk.

Human rights activists remark that in September 19 persons were convicted for xenophobia-related crimes. Also, the Bureau has reported that "most of September attacks were made on Azerbaijanis."

According to human rights activists, from the start of 2008, 138 persons have been convicted. About one third of them were sentenced to 5-20 years of imprisonment, about the same number were punished conditionally, others received from 1 to 5 years in custody, and only five were sentenced to life imprisonment.