MOSCOW, June 24 (RAPSI) - A bill aimed at toughening criminal punishment for crimes of extremism and for inciting hatred or enmity has been forwarded to the State Duma.

The bill was drafted in accordance with the presidential and government instructions and in view of the destructive activity of certain religious organizations in Russia.

The bill stipulates tougher criminal punishment for public incitement of extremism (Article 280 of the Criminal Code), with fines ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 rubles ($3,055 to $9,165), and increasing the prison sentence from three to four years. 

It also proposes that the length of compulsory labor for inciting hatred or enmity or for abasing human dignity (Article 282) be increased from two to four years and fines be raised from 100,000-300,000 rubles to 300,000-500,000 rubles ($9,165-$15,272). 

Tougher punishment is also stipulated for organizing extremist groups and for being a part of secular or religious organizations banned for extremism.

The law on combating extremism, adopted in July 2002, has been criticized by human rights advocates, who claim that it has often been used to clamp down on dissent rather than to fight real threats to public order. They also say that the definition of extremist is subject to the interpretation of prosecutors and investigators. 

Religious minority groups have been prosecuted in Russia for activities considered "extremist," or for publishing "extremist literature."

President Vladimir Putin said in early March that the number of extremist crimes in Russia increased by nearly 12% in 2012. Speaking at a board meeting at the Prosecutor General's Office, he called on prosecutors to take on the threat of extremism. 

After detailing the statistics to support his worry over extremism, Putin voiced concern over the fact that a number of extremist groups have been showing signs of out and out aggression.