23:55, 19 February 2010

Nikita Tikhonov, accused of murdering lawyer Markelov, placed into another SIZO

The nationalist Nikita Tikhonov, accused of murdering lawyer Stanislav Markelov, was transferred from SIZO (pre-trial prison) "Lefortovo", where he was kept since April 2009, to SIZO "Matrosskaya Tishina".

As reported by a source close to the inquiry, the Federal Service of Enforcing Punishments (known as "FSIN") gave no reasons for the suspect's transfer.

The nationalist's supporters fear that he can be pressed on. "He rejected his previous evidences, knocked our of him under pressure; and inspectors promised to plant him into a 'press cell', and now, apparently, fulfilled the promise," the "Gazeta.Ru" quotes Alexei Baranovskiy, Tikhonov's close friend and coordinator of the organization "Russian Verdict".

Let us note here that on February 10 Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of the Russian Federation, said in his interview to the "Rossiskaya Gazeta" that the investigation of the murder criminal case of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova will be soon completed.