News

Criminal case against four accused of attacking Konstantin Fetisov forwarded to court in Moscow Region

Moscow Region investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee have completed investigating a criminal case against four accused of attacking Chairman of local party Prvaoye Delo and member of Moscow Union of Journalists Konstantin Fetisov.

Depending on the role of each one, Andrey Chernyshov, Vyacheslav Kovalyov, Maksim Kriventsov are charged with instigation or complicity in murder of a person in connection with his discharge of public duty committed by a group of persons under a preliminary conspiracy and on hire (article 33 and part 3 of article 30, part 2 of article 105 of the RF Criminal Code). Vazgen Tsaturyan is charged with a crime under part 1 of article 116 of the RF Criminal Code (battery).

According to investigators, Andrey Kashirin for patronage in being employed on municipal service and business activity in Khimki promised by Head of Khimki city district and municipal district administration Chernyshov offered Tsaturyan and Rastokin to beat Fetisov promising to pay 30 thousand rubles. On 18 September 2010, Kashirin called Fetisov and using their confidential relationships learnt his whereabouts and offered to meet under an artificial pretext. Later his accomplices beat Fetisov in the appointed place of meeting.

In November 2010, Kashirin, acting on instructions of Chernyshov, found Kriventsov and offered him to kill Fetisov for 1 thousand US dollars by offsetting his debt. On 4 November 2010, Kashirin watched the victim’s house, delivered the killer to the crime scene and gave a bat instructing to hit straight in head to kill. During the crime Kashirin fled the crime scene and later to Brest, Belorussia, where he secretly lived at Kovalyov’s, who had promised him harboring.

Motives for both the crimes were discontent with Fetisov’s active public activity intended to reveal offences of officials in local governments and drawing to them attention of law enforcement and controlling bodies.

Investigators have collected enough evidence and the case against Chernyshov, Kovalyov, Kriventsov and Tsaturyan with the approved indictment has been forwarded to court to be tried on the merits. The criminal cases against others were forwarded to court. Kashirin was sentenced to 4 years in a maximum-security correctional facility with subsequent restriction of freedom for 1 year. The direct perpetrator of the attempted murder was subject to compulsory medical treatment.