The court in Rostov-on-Don prolonged journalist Tolmachev's arrest for two months

On April, 19, the court of Lenin district of Rostov-on-Don brought a judgment of prolongation of custody term to publisher Alexander Tolmachev suspected of extortion.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" reported that Tolmachev was detained on December, 20, 2011, and taken into custody upon a judgment of Novocherkassk city court on December, 23. The publisher was accused of extortion of one million rubles from a businessman from Novocherkassk. The court selected custody as a form of preventive punishment out of fear that Tolmachev could have an influence upon the investigation by use of his professional facilities.

The investigation requested prolongation of custody term for the same reason.

'"They mean Tolmachev can influence if they need to confiscate something or interrogate someone. But it is quite incomprehensible how Tolmachev can influence if some banking documents are required, as they said. Then they just submit a request and receive the documents. Hence the defense party considers the judgment of prolonging Tolmachev's custody term groundless and is preparing an appeal", 161.ru quotes Viacheslav Altukhov, representative of non-governmental association "Public Legal Control".

Tolmachev's attorneys consider the judgment prejudiced. "The decision of prolongation of the term of arrest is not based on anything else but the judge's inner conviction. The investigator produced not a single argument as reasoning of this verdict, did not answer a single question from the attorneys", Tolmachev's attorney Marina Velikotskaya declared.

The motion from the defense of challenge to the judge was dismissed. The motion of putting Alexander Tolmachev under home arrest was dismissed, too, based on an operative agent's reports, besides other reasons. The latter stated that during two months he was regularly coming to the disgraced editor's home but never found anyone in", "Rostov News Agency" reports.

It should be reminded that on December, 30, the regional court dismissed an appeal against Tolmachev's arrest.

On December, 26, after the judgment of taking the journalist into custody was brought, a picket in his protection passed off in Novocherkassk. Participants of an action in support of political prisoners held on December, 30, in Rostov-on-Don also demanded Tolmachev's release.