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Court extends athlete's arrest until April 1

Moscow's Zamoskvorechye court extended the arrest of Rasul Mirzayev, accused of delivering a fatal blow to a 19-year-old student Ivan Agafonov, until April1.

MOSCOW, February 15 (Itar-Tass) — On Wednesday Moscow's Zamoskvorechye court extended the arrest of Rasul Mirzayev, accused of delivering a fatal blow to a 19-year-old student Ivan Agafonov, until April 1.

The court thereby met the petitions of the prosecutor and the victim's family.

Judge Andrei Fedin, after hearing the parties' reasons, concluded that the actual grounds on which the court sanctioned Mirzayev's arrest in August, have not changed: the defendant does not work, he is accused of a violent crime, and does not live at his permanent or temporary address.

"The court has reasons to assume that the defendant might flee, under the weight of the charges," Fedin said.

The court rules to extend Mirazyev's custody until April 1, he announced.

The court then continued to review the criminal case.

Earlier on Wednesday, prosecutor Alexander Smirnov demanded that the arrest be extended by three months. His position was supported by the lawyer of Agafonov's family Oksana Mikhalkina.

Mirzayev's lawyer Alexei Grebenskoi asked to release his client, underlining that it is the first time Mirzayev has been arraigned. He is not accused of a serious crime and has a small child to support.

"I've admitted my guilt; I've repented," Mirzayev told the judge.

Judge Andrei Fedin asked the defendant when he had last been at this permanent address /in Kizlyar/, at temporary address /in an army unit's dormitory/ and at the place where he actually lived /a rented apartment in Bolshaya Cheryomushkinskaya Street/. Mirzayev said he had last visited his native place in January 2011, the dormitory - in 2010, and that he left the rented apartment to report to the investgators on August 19.

"I'm not going to hide; I have a family here, a daughter," Mirzayev said.

On February 13, judge Yulia Novichkova ruled to release Mirzayev on a 100,000-rouble bail, but the next day, the appeals board at the Moscow City Court granted the prosecutor’s petition and sent the case for a review by another judge at the Zamoskvorechye court.

The latest bail ruling developments mirror the story that happened six months ago, when the Zamoskvorechye court initially ruled to release the mixed fighting champion on bail, but the next day, the Moscow City Court overturned the decision and on August 24, the Zamoskvorechye court sanctioned the athlete's arrest.

The fatal incident occurred in Brodnikov Pereulok in central Moscow on August 15, 2011. Student Ivan Agafonov was rushed to a hospital after a punch delivered by Mirzayev near the Garage nightclub and died several days later without regaining consciousness.

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