MOSCOW — A young Russian nationalist and his common-law wife were convicted Thursday in the particularly brazen murders of a prominent human rights lawyer and a journalist two years ago, as the jury sided with prosecutors who argued that the ideologically driven defendants considered their victims enemies of Russia.
The slain lawyer, Stanislav Markelov, 34, had worked to jail violent nationalists and had once pursued a murder case against the man convicted of both fatal shootings, which were carried out at close range in broad daylight on a busy Moscow street near the Kremlin. The journalist, Anastasia Baburova, 25, was a freelancer who happened to be interviewing Mr. Markelov. Both had connections to the loose network of Russian groups opposed to the nationalist and neo-fascist groups that have proliferated here since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Members of the country’s beleaguered human rights community immediately praised the verdict as a rare victory for justice in a country where high-profile murders are rarely solved.
“Our long experience allows us to distinguish between cases fabricated by the secret services and law enforcement agencies and cases that these services and structures investigate conscientiously,” Oleg P. Orlov, the head of the rights group Memorial said in a statement. “Today we can confirm that the real killers and not someone arbitrarily accused were seated on the defendants’ bench.”
The nationalist, Nikita Tikhonov, 30, was found guilty of the fatal shootings, while his common-law wife, Yevgenia Khasis, 26, served as lookout. Both had denied any guilt, and both slashed their wrists this week in what appeared to be an attempt to delay the verdict.
Sentencing is expected next month, but their lawyers vowed to appeal.
Mr. Markelov’s death added to a growing toll from the community of rights activists here. He had worked closely with Anna Politkovskaya, the investigative journalist who was gunned down in October 2006, and also with Natalya Estemirova, the rights worker who was kidnapped and murdered in July 2009.
There have been no convictions in those killings.
Ms. Baburova worked at the newspaper Novaya Gazeta, where Ms. Politkovskaya had also worked.
Other journalists from the paper have also met violent ends.
Vladimir Zherebenkov, a lawyer who represented Ms. Baburova’s parents, said they were “deeply satisfied.”
“They now know that the perpetrators of this crime will definitely be punished,” Mr. Zherebenkov said.
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Two anti-corruption rallies were held Saturday afternoon in Moscow.
Russians turned out on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Moscow for two rival protests against corruption, the top issue on voters minds in this election year according to polls.
This tale of two protests speaks volumes about the state of democracy in Russia - 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The state threw its weight fully behind the official anti-corruption protest.
One day in advance Moscow? officials blocked off a one kilometer long avenue for the demonstration. The avenue was conveniently located between a 10-lane highway and transit center with two subway and three commuter rail stations.
Chartered buses brought in participants, who were issued flags, banners and crisp white "anti corruption" aprons. Numbering in the thousands, they then marched in groups into the protest zone. There, eight massive video screens and a powerful music system thumped out techno music and anti corruption messages.
Each unit chanted its place of origin, in this case Moscow.
The protest was organized by Nashi, widely seen as a youth wing of the ruling United Russia party.
To fight corruption, Nashi asked protest participants to videotape teachers, doctors, policemen, and other government employees asking for bribes. Then participants are to post the videos on a new "White Apron" website.
Daniel Semyonov, a lawyer, was directing young people to the protest from a subway station. He said that corruption is now everywhere in Russia.
He said that Nashi’s new anti-corruption campaign had nothing to do with parliamentary elections in December and presidential elections next March.
Four kilometers across town, leaders of Russia’s political opposition held their rally on Bolotnaya Ploshads, literally Swamp Square. They were allotted a small corner of a park, formed from reclaimed river land, a 20-minute walk from the nearest metro station.
In contrast to the official demonstration, the area was surrounded by prison buses and riot police.
Andrei Alatin, the director of an advertising agency, said he had not been to a demonstration in 15 years. But he and his wife came Saturday because they feel that corruption is rotting Russian society.
He said that 20 years ago, children wanted to become businessmen. Now they want to get rich by becoming government officials. He said the only solution for Russia would be a real dictatorship or real democracy - not the "Potemkin village" democracy of today.
No one interviewed at this rally believed that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin or President Dmitry Medvedev are interested in fighting graft in Russia. One man held a sign saying: "Russia rots from the Kremlin" - a play on the saying that a fish rots from the head.
A favorite chant was to call the ruling party, "the party of thieves and swindlers."
In this atmosphere, Boris Nemtsov, a rally leader, said the Kremlin had hastily organized the official anti corruption rally.? He drew a rare laugh when he ridiculed Prime Minister Putin.
He said, "Putin against corruption - is like alcoholics against vodka."
This rally ended peacefully, with policemen barking directions through megaphones to herd the estimated 1,000 attendees to the distant subway station.
At the end of the day, a convoy of 10 Nashi buses could be seen heading south from Moscow, lead by a police cruiser escort.
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Russians Protest Corruption, a Hot Election Year Issue | Europe | English/* Voice of America ?
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Inside VOA|Contact VOA News April 17, 2011 Latest News: Select Your LanguageAfan OromoAlbanianAmharicArmenianAzerbaijaniAzeriBanglaBosnianBurmeseCantoneseChineseCreoleCroatianDariEnglish WorldwideFrenchGeorgianGreekHausaIndonesianKhmerKhmer (English)KinyarwandaKirundiKoreanKurdiKurdishLaoLearning EnglishMacedonianMandarinNdebelePashtoPashto - DeewaPersian PortugueseRussian SerbianShonaSomaliSpanishSwahiliThaiTibetanTibetan (English)TigrignaTurkishUkrainian UrduUzbekVietnameseZimbabwe - EnglishNewsProgramsVideoLearning EnglishLive Streams:Latest Newscast|Africa Live|Global LiveNews USA Africa Americas Asia Europe Middle East Arts and Entertainment EconomyMore TopicsEducationEnvironmentHealthNews AnalysisReligionScience and TechnologySports Web FeaturesSpecial ReportsPhoto GalleriesGoing Green Money In MotionNow You KnowOff the Beaten PathThe LinkInteractive YouTubeFacebookTwitter Web ServicesPodcastsRSSMobileNewsletterWebcastsLinks About the USEditorialsRFE/RLRFAPronunciation Guide News|EuropeEuropeRSS FeedRussians Protest Corruption, a Hot Election Year Issue James Brooke|Moscow?April 16, 2011 Photo: VOA - D. MarkosianA member of the opposition holds a banner at a protest near the Kremlin, April 16, 2011. The banner reads, "Thieves should go to jail" and displays images of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Share ThisFacebookYahoo! BuzzRelated ArticlesRussia’s Ruling Party Chief Favors Putin for President Putin Refuses to Rule Out Run for Russian PresidencyYoung Lawyer Leads Fight Against Corruption in Russia
Two anti-corruption rallies were held Saturday afternoon in Moscow.
Russians turned out on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Moscow for two rival protests against corruption, the top issue on voters minds in this election year according to polls.
This tale of two protests speaks volumes about the state of democracy in Russia - 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The state threw its weight fully behind the official anti-corruption protest.
One day in advance Moscow? officials blocked off a one kilometer long avenue for the demonstration. The avenue was conveniently located between a 10-lane highway and transit center with two subway and three commuter rail stations.
Chartered buses brought in participants, who were issued flags, banners and crisp white "anti corruption" aprons. Numbering in the thousands, they then marched in groups into the protest zone. There, eight massive video screens and a powerful music system thumped out techno music and anti corruption messages.
Each unit chanted its place of origin, in this case Moscow.
The protest was organized by Nashi, widely seen as a youth wing of the ruling United Russia party.
To fight corruption, Nashi asked protest participants to videotape teachers, doctors, policemen, and other government employees asking for bribes. Then participants are to post the videos on a new "White Apron" website.
Daniel Semyonov, a lawyer, was directing young people to the protest from a subway station. He said that corruption is now everywhere in Russia.
He said that Nashi’s new anti-corruption campaign had nothing to do with parliamentary elections in December and presidential elections next March.
Four kilometers across town, leaders of Russia’s political opposition held their rally on Bolotnaya Ploshads, literally Swamp Square. They were allotted a small corner of a park, formed from reclaimed river land, a 20-minute walk from the nearest metro station.
In contrast to the official demonstration, the area was surrounded by prison buses and riot police.
Andrei Alatin, the director of an advertising agency, said he had not been to a demonstration in 15 years. But he and his wife came Saturday because they feel that corruption is rotting Russian society.
He said that 20 years ago, children wanted to become businessmen. Now they want to get rich by becoming government officials. He said the only solution for Russia would be a real dictatorship or real democracy - not the "Potemkin village" democracy of today.
No one interviewed at this rally believed that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin or President Dmitry Medvedev are interested in fighting graft in Russia. One man held a sign saying: "Russia rots from the Kremlin" - a play on the saying that a fish rots from the head.
A favorite chant was to call the ruling party, "the party of thieves and swindlers."
In this atmosphere, Boris Nemtsov, a rally leader, said the Kremlin had hastily organized the official anti corruption rally.? He drew a rare laugh when he ridiculed Prime Minister Putin.
He said, "Putin against corruption - is like alcoholics against vodka."
This rally ended peacefully, with policemen barking directions through megaphones to herd the estimated 1,000 attendees to the distant subway station.
At the end of the day, a convoy of 10 Nashi buses could be seen heading south from Moscow, lead by a police cruiser escort.
Listen? Email? Print? Listen: Brooke report MP3Email This Article?Print This Article? Most-Viewed ArticlesClashes Reported in Several Libyan Cities Japan Still Struggling to Control Crippled Nuclear Plant Large Turnout for Nigeria's Presidential Poll Reports Positive from Nigerian Presidential VoteSuicide Bomber Strikes in Eastern Afghanistan, Killing 9 Most E-mailed ArticlesJapan Still Struggling to Control Crippled Nuclear Plant Large Turnout for Nigeria's Presidential Poll Curfew in Burkina Faso After President Dissolves GovernmentFirst of Japan Disaster Survivors Get Temporary HousesAfghan Taliban to Open Office in TurkeyVOANews:NewsProgramsVideoLearning EnglishArchiveWeb Services:PodcastsRSSMobileNewsletterWebcastsAbout VOANews.com:Terms of Use and Privacy NoticeBroadcasting Board of GovernorsInside VOAFAQsContact VOANewsJob Opportunities
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