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About 500 people mark anniversary of Markelov’s and Baburova’s deaths

No violations of public orders occurred
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, January 19 (Itar-Tass) – About 500 people attended an event in downtown Moscow on Saturday, January 19, to mark an anniversary of lawyer Stanislav Markelov’s and journalist Anastasia Baburova’s deaths.

“No more than 500 people, including members of mass media, participated in the event allowed in the centre of the city. No violations of public orders occurred,” the city police press service told Itar-Tass.

The march started at 14:00 Moscow time from Pushkin Square and ended at Nikitsky Boulevard some several hundred metres away.

Lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova were shot down in central Moscow near the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on January 19, 2009. Markelov, 34, was shot in the head. Baburova, 25, died in hospital. She was a fifth-year student at Moscow State University’[s Department of Journalism, majoring in the coverage of nationalism and neo-fascism.

Nikita Tikhonov, charged with the murder of Markelov and Baburova, has made a confession, his lawyer Yevgeny Skripelov said earlier.

“Nikita Tikhonov said he perpetrated the murder. Yet he refused to confirm his belonging to a nationalist group,” he said.

Tikhonov also said he did not intend to kill the journalist.

In 2011, the Moscow City Court convicted Tikhonov and Yevgenia Khasis, who was also incriminated in the case. The former received a life sentence and the latter was sentenced to 18 years in prison. The sentences were based on the verdict handed down by the jury who had found both guilty.

The court said that Tikhonov and Khasis had formed a close-knit group with several persons, who had not been identified yet, for the purpose of killing Markelov over his work to protect victims of hate crimes.