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Man guilty of attacking journalist sentenced to four years

Journalist and environmental protection activist Konstantin Fetisov was beaten up after he participated in picket meeting against dump in Khimki's Left River Bank district

MOSCOW, November 30 (Itar-Tass) — The Moscow Region's court this Friday sentenced Andrei Kashirin to four years’ imprisonment for attacking journalist Konstantin Fetisov, an activist of the movement "In Defence of the Khimki Forest".

Kashirin, a 30-year-old Muscovite, is found guilty of the attack, the attempt to kill the journalist, instigation and complicity in the crime. He will serve his term in a tough-regime prison. After the imprisonment, his freedom will be limited for one year more. According to the court ruling, the term is counted from December 2010. Thus, he has already served almost half of the term.

The prosecutor demanded to sentence Kashirin to seven years' imprisonment.

The trial was held according to the special procedure when the defendant pleaded guilty and agreed to assist in the investigation.

Given the seriousness of the crime and the public danger, the court believes Kashirin must be imprisoned, as was said when the sentence was pronounced. At the same time, the court took into consideration that Kashirin admitted his guilt and gave evidence and his assistance helped to find and expose other persons involved in the crime. The prosecutor also confirmed this.

However, the cout also took into consideration the fact that Kashirin when committing the crime realized how grave it was.

On November 4, 2010, journalist and environmental protection activist Konstantin Fetisov was beaten up after he participated in a picket meeting against a dump in Khimki's Levoberezhny (Left River Bank) district. He was beaten with baseball bats when he returned from the police station, where he was brought after the protest meeting.

Fetisov was taken to an intensive care unit in a hospital and for some time he remained in a medically induced coma.

According to the investigators' information, for support promised by Khimki administration department head Andrei Chernyshov in municipal service employment and business, Kashirin asked Vazgen Tsaturyan and Denis Rastokin to beat up Fetisov and promised to pay them 30,000 roubles.

Kashirin participated in spying on Fetisov and tried to gain his confidence. On September 18, 2010, Kashirin called the activist and under false pretences asked to meet. During the meeting, the attackers beat the journalist.

In November 2010, Kashirin, following Chernyshov's instructions, found Maxim Kriventsov and asked him to kill Fetisov for 1,000 dollars. Kashirin watched the activist's home, brought the attacker there, handed over a bat to him and asked to beat the activist on the head to kill him. During the attack, Kashirin escaped and left for Belarus.

The motive of the two crimes was the displeasure with Fetisov's public activity aimed at disclosing violations of officials and drawing attention of law-enforcement and control authorities to them, an Investigative Committee source said.