12:40, 17 May 2016

Detainees after mass brawl in cemetery refuse to plead guilty

Several cars parked near the entrance to the cemetery were smashed and turned upside down during the brawl. Photo: https://petrovka38.ru/news/item/7782137/

The Presnya Court in Moscow has ruled to arrest 12 people in the case of a brawl in the Khovanskoye cemetery in Moscow, suspected of murder, illegal possession of weapons and hooliganism. They refused to plead guilty and testify. 22 participants of the brawl have been sentenced to administrative arrest for 15 days.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 14 a mass brawl broke out in the Khovanskoye cemetery with from 200 to 500 participants. Three people were killed; and 26 others were injured. Natives of Chechnya and Dagestan are suspected to have organized the brawl. According to Vladimir Markin, the spokesman of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), the main cause of the incident is in redistribution of criminal business.

Today, the court has arrested Alexander Merezhko, Arthur Khadjikhanov and Elikhan Yakhyaev, the TASS reports. On May 16, nine people were arrested until July 14.

The court rejected the motion to arrest Yuri Chabuev, the former director of the Khovanskoye cemetery, the "Kommersant" writes.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.