ALTAI SKINHEADS GET LONG JAIL TERMS FOR HATE-MOTIVATED MURDERS

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS
February 27, 2008
Russia

The Altai Territorial Court has found a group of young men guilty
of killing ethnic Armenians and Azeris, and sentenced them to long
terms in jail.

A jury handed down a guilty verdict on two residents of Biisk on
charges of committing a hate-motivated attack and the murder of
several people, as well as instigating ethnic hate and enmity.

The accused got 17 and 15 years in a high security prison, the Altai
Territorial Prosecutor’s office announced on Wednesday.

During a trial the suspects pleaded partially not guilty, arguing
that they had been driven by mercenary motives, not by ethnic hatred.

"According to the investigation, ethnic Armenian Grachik Bagramian, 50,
was attacked on October 15 2006 in Biisk and ethnic Azeri Ziyadkahn
Eivazov, 39, on November 1. Initially, the two cases were being
investigated separately, but they were subsequently combined into one,"
the Altai Territorial Prosecutor’s Office reported on Wednesday.

In both cases the victims were attacked by several people, who hit
them on the head and then kicked and beat them.

"Both victims died of sustained injuries," prosecutors said.
From: Baghdasarian