The court prolonged the term of arrest for those suspected of Markelov's murder

Today the Moscow municipal court prolonged the term of arrest for 3,5 months, till February, 2011, for Eugenia Khasis, figurant of the case of murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova and the defendant on the same case Nikita Tikhonov.

A representative of the investigation informed that the prolongation of arrest was necessary for there were reasons to suppose that Khasis could take measures to destroy the evidences on the case and also use her contacts and acquaintances in mass media for hindrance to a fair investigation of the case and hide herself from law enforcement bodies.

Khasis' defense and she herself were strongly objecting to one more prolongation of arrest. Gennady Nebritov, her attorney, said that the investigators could not produce any arguments to ground their appeal, Russian Agency of Legal and Juridical Information (RALJI) reports.

The figurants of the case have spent over a year in the investigative isolation ward and the preliminary investigation has already been accomplished. After the defendants study the materials of investigation the case will be passed over to public prosecutor's office, RIA "Novosti" reports.