The defendants on the case of murder of lawyer Markelov were striving for seizure of power, the prosecuting party declares

The prosecuting party at the trial on the case of murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova declared its opinion that Tikhonov and Khasis had been involved in drawing up a neonazi terrorist program of seizure of power "2020". 

The investigation found leaflets in data memory of Khasis' computer containing statements on behalf of a "Combat organization of Russian nationalists" (CORN) calling for "punitive operations" against immigrants from Central Asia and representatives of the authorities, RIA "Novosti" starts its report on the debate of the parties which began on Monday, April, 25, in Moscow City Court.

The debate will last at least two more days. The prosecution states that the guilt of defendants Nikita Tikhonov and Evgenia Khasis is perfectly proven but the attorneys of the defense party declare that the materials of investigation testify to their clients' innocence. 

"Tikhonov and Khasis are professional killers, they had been guided by the idea of neonazism which captivated them from head to foot, following it they were preparing to commit murders all their lives", Larisa Baburova, the lost journalist's mother, said in court. 

Prosecutor Loktionov drew the lay people's attention to the fact that Tikhonov did not deny his guilt of document forgery, storing, purchasing and carrying arms. He only insisted that his common-law wife Khasis who appears in the case as participator of arms storage had not been involved in that.  

Besides, he reminded that Tikhonov and Khasis' flat was being tapped. It is known from the tapping materials that when Mikhail Markelov, the lost lawyer's elder brother, issued a statement of possible involvement of the nationalists in the crime in mass media the defendants started reasoning on who could have delivered them up, online media "Gazeta.ru" writes.  

"There is an impression that the investigation has been searching not for evidence of guilt but for that of innocence, - Tikhonov's attorney Alexander Vasiliev declared in his turn. He ascribes the blame for the crime to Ilya Goriachev, major witness for the prosecution, leader of the nationalist organization "Russian Image", Russian Agency of Legal and Court Information (RALCI) reports. 

"Goriachev has been involved in the murder, that is just why he is hiding himself from the court", Vasiliev declared.