Defendant in Markelov's murder case says he got firearms after lawyer's death

Today, the Moscow City Court continues the hearing of the criminal case on the murders of the lawyer Stanislav Markelov and the journalist of the "Novaya Gazeta" Anastasia Baburova. The session with participation of the jury began with a resonant statement of the accused Nikita Tikhonov. According to his story, he received firearms in October 2009, that is, after Markelov's murder.

He explained that he received the pistol, from which lawyer Markelov was shot dead, from his friend Ilya Goryachev, leader of the "Russkiy Obraz" (Russian Image) organization. According to Tikhonov, Goryachev gave him the pistol and asked to repair it.

Also today, the court listened to evidences of the second defendant in the case - Evgenia Khasis. She refused to plead guilty, saying that she had committed no crime. Khasis also said that she was sure that her friend Nikita Tikhonov was "stitched-up."

The judge interrupted Khasis' evidence, since he found it evaluative.

Let us note here that under the materials of the case, Ilya Goryachev is one of the main witnesses of the prosecution. He was questioned and evidenced in confirmation of the guilt of his collaborators; however, he is now hiding in Serbia. According to Yulia Bashinova, an activist of the Youth Human Rights Group, Goryachev fears retaliation of the members of the Nazi underground for his having "surrendered" Tikhonov and Khasis.