20:00, 21 February 2011

The accused of murdering Markelov and Baburova refuse pleading guilty

At the Moscow City Court, where the consideration of the murder case of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova has started today, the defendants Nikita Tikhonov and Evgenia Khasis refused to plead guilty.

Their criminal case on murdering the lawyer and journalist in January 2009 is considered with participation of the jury in the open regime. The panel has 12 main and nine reserve jurors.

"I completely reject all the charges brought against me. I committed no crime; and I had no intent to commit one," Ms Khasis said after presenting the indictment. According to her story, Tikhonov was just "set up" to complicate the search of real killers, the "Interfax" reports.

Tikhonov also refused to admit his guilt of the double homicide; although he admitted that he had used forged documents in order "to rent an apartment," the ITAR-TASS reports.