Bourne went on trial

Hearing in the case of the organization of Russian nationalists, who took responsibility for the murder of Markelov and Baburova, begins

The Moscow Regional Court on Thursday, May 29, will hold preliminary hearings in the case against four activists of the "combat organization of Russian nationalists" (BORN). They are accused of committing several murders for ideological reasons. In particular, the organization took responsibility for the murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelova and journalist Anastasia Baburova in 2009. Investigators consider the leader of the Russian Image movement Ilya Goryachev as the organizer and ideological inspirer of Bourn. Lawyers insist on his non -involvement in the murders committed by nationalists.

In the bench of the defendants, four participants in the "combat organization of Russian nationalists" - Maxim Baklagin, Vyacheslav Isaev, Mikhail Volkov and Yuri Tikhomirov. According to investigators, they are involved in several serious crimes committed from 2008 to 2011. Among them they call the murder of three participants in the anti -fascist movement, the murder and attempt on the murder of several citizens of non -Slavic appearance, including the world champion in Thai boxing Muslim Abdullaev, an attack on the senior district police officer of the Department of Internal Affairs in the metropolitan district of Golyanovo, the murder of the judge of the Moscow City Court Eduard Chuvashov, as well as the murder of the lawyer Stanislav Markelova.

In 2011, Muscovite Nikita Tikhonov and his civil wife Evgeny Hasis were found guilty of the murder of Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova. Tikhonov was sentenced to life sentence, Hasis received 18 years in prison. Currently, the investigation continues in relation to the leader of the Russian Image movement Ilya Goryachev, who acted as a witness in the case against Tikhonov and Hasis. The investigation considers it the organizer and ideological inspirer of the "combat organization of Russian nationalists." Currently Goryachev is located in the investigative insulator Lefortovo.

According to his lawyer Mark Feigin , evidence of Goryachev’s involvement in crimes committed by Bourne activists, are built exclusively on Nikita Tikhonov's testimony:

- Goryachev is considered the organizer of the "combat organization of Russian nationalists." And preliminary hearings begin over the four performers of this organization, who in their testimony claim that they have never seen, have never been familiar and never talked with Goryachev, as well as he with them. I do not presume to judge the guilt of these persons, but one of them is partially, and someone fully admit their guilt. But the main witness of the prosecution is Tikhonov, who also fully pleaded guilty, collaborates with the investigation. And only he and his civilian wife Hasis accuse Goryachev of allegedly instructions, some instructions for committing crimes. And we have not yet seen any material evidence. Moreover, at the confrontation, which was held at the end of last year between Goryachev and Tikhonov, we could not achieve a clear answer from Tikhonov - how the organizational

The role of the Irish Republican Army was played by Tikhonov. But a certain “Shinn Feyn”, the legal part of the organization, was Goryachev along with the “Russian image”

The role of Goryachev. There are only Tikhonov’s testimony, in which he says that he supposedly Goryachev led some kind of double political game, creating some semblance of Ira and “Shinn Fayne”. The role of the Irish Republican Army was played by Tikhonov. But a certain “Shinn Feyn”, the legal part of the organization, was Goryachev along with the “Russian image”. I can say that the matter is very contradictory even from the point of view of the procedural. You know, Tikhonov at the main process according to Markelov and Baburova first denied his guilt, now he admits it. But nowhere and he never accused Goryachev of some criminal role of participation in these murders. Never! This happened a few years after the main process. And therefore, this raises great doubts about the good faith and veracity of Tikhonov’s testimony, especially since he was sentenced to a life sentence. And the motive of his cooperation with the investigation is understandable to us: he wants to change his fate a little for the better, ”says Ilya Goryacheva’s lawyer Mark Feigin.

According to Alexander Verkhovsky, the director of the Owl Information and Analytical Center, the Russian Image organization, the leader of which is Ilya Goryachev, despite his legal status, consists in many respects of the matured neo-nationality:

- The organization attracted precisely neo -Nazi youth in large quantities, luring it from the "movement against illegal migration." To lure activists made it possible that the "Russian image" had a certain semi -official "roof". Because, with all their anti-deplaict pathos, these activists still preferred to deal with an organization that is supposedly less vulnerable because of this for the police, the FSB. Moreover, the fact that the “Russian image” is connected with some militants to us, for example, was obvious all the time. It's just that now this will be the subject of the trial. I have no doubt that this will be proved. The point is not that Ilya Goryachev is the inspirer Bourne. I think that if there were no Ilya Goryachev, Born would still exist. But it is no less true that Bourne, at least part of Borne activists, perceived itself as a combat wing of political radical nationalism, and the “Russian image” is radical nationalism, and not moderate in any way. Accordingly, Goryachev believed that it was very correct that his political organization "combat wing" was. And spent even an analogy with Ira. He, of course, was flattered by himself what is called, but nevertheless.

- On the one hand, lawyers argue that all evidence against Goryachev is built exclusively on the testimony of Nikita Tikhonov. Naturally, lawyers defend the point of view that the evidence is not enough, that some unlawful actions are performed in relation to their client. On the other hand, the "Russian image" is a neo -Nazi organization. How much is the problem of protecting the rights of people who are under investigation or in prisons for such very unsightly affairs for a human rights community?

Our constitution does not prohibit a person to be a Nazis. She prohibits him a certain kind of action

- Human rights activists are different people. Therefore, I cannot answer for everyone. From my point of view, there are some rights of a prisoner, the rights of the accused, who are inherent in all the same. If a person is accused of real crimes, it is not about his views, not that a person is not supposed to have Nazi views. Our constitution does not prohibit a person to be a Nazis. She prohibits him a certain kind of action. How evidence is what relates to Goryachev? Let's see how it will be proved. As far as I understand, this is based not only on Tikhonov’s testimony, but also on wiretaps, for example, where the same Tikhonov and some other people said something not for the investigation, but among themselves. And it’s quite Goryachev mentioned in the quality that he will be charged with.

- It is clear that the case of Markelov and Baburova Glutky. Perhaps, therefore, it came to court, and the perpetrators were planted, and apparently, activists of the same borne will be planted. But how many such cases remains outside the focus of the media and outside the focus of justice?

- It is quite difficult to answer this question. If these cases remain non -displaced, then often no one knows about them, including me. But I can say that there are a certain number of cases when people who committed crimes, ideologically motivated by some racist or neo-Nazi beliefs, were convicted, but in the sentence the motive of hatred was not taken into account, because they could not prove it or were too lazy to prove it. Of course, there are many cases when the crime is clearly of such a character, but the case is not uncovered, the criminal was not found. I think that less than half is revealed, ”says Alexander Verkhovsky, director of the Owl information and analytical center.