Vladimir Zherebenkov: witness Baranovskiy in Markelov-and-Baburova's murder case gives false evidence

Alexei Baranovskiy, a friend of the defendants in the murder case of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova, is under threat of criminal liability for perjury, said the victims' advocate Vladimir Zherebenkov.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that during the today's hearing of the murder criminal case of lawyer Markelov Alexei Baranovskiy, a witness for the defence, a journalist and coordinator of the Centre "Russian Verdict", has assured that on the day of Markelov's murder - on January 19, 2009, - Evgenia Khasis was with him. Thus, her alibi was declared.

"This is an invention, a cry of despair, since the defence has no evidences to refute this accusation," Vladimir Zherebenkov has commented.

During the court session, the state prosecution reminded that at the preliminary investigation Baranovskiy had said nothing about the whereabouts of Khasis on the day of murder. Prosecutor Boris Loktionov had generally objected to his questioning. He called it strange that Baranovskiy told about Khasis' alibi two years after her detention. According to the prosecutor the witness was "blatantly lying". In response, Baranovskiy said he was afraid of possible pressure on him.

Alexander Zamashnyuk, the presiding judge, has allowed Baranovskiy to testify before the jury, noting that the witness will have to explain why he had been concealing this information for two years.

Mr Baranovskiy said that he got acquainted with Khasis in 2007 and initially tried to court her, until he learned that the girl had a boyfriend. Under Baranovskiy command Khasis worked in the "Russian Verdict" Centre. The witness also added that the photos of the cut-off head of a native of Central Asia, later found in the Khasis' laptop, was found by him on the Internet and handed over to her for examination, the "Interfax" reports.

Meanwhile, the defendants' advocates insist that the investigation had formally approached to the investigation of the murders of Markelov and Anastasia Baburova, having not studied, in particular, the "Chechen trace". The defence argues that Markelov, who had represented the victims' interests at several resonant trials on crimes in Chechnya, in particular, on the case of Colonel Budanov, could become a victim of revenge of prisoners, the "Vesti" reports.