November 6, 2009 By Citizen M

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – Nov 6, 2009

front.jpg

TODAY: Markelov murder suspect reportedly confesses; vengeance a possible motive?  Activist abducted in Moscow.  Spy chief issues warning on Georgia; Lavrov surprised at Poland soliciting US help.  Medvedev reserves army use for emergencies. Luzhkov lays into Abramovich; new vodka pricing; toy story.

The Moscow Times reports that revenge may be the motive behind the shooting of human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov.  Apparently the alleged gunman Nikita Tikhonov may have been a suspect in the stabbing of anti-fascist activist Alexander Ryukhin in 2006, whose mother Markelov was a lawyer for.  The other suspect, Eugenia Khasis, 24, appears to have no prior convictions.  Apparently the killer has confessed – the Other Russia reporting it to be Khasis who made the confession.  Russian Rights Group Memorial has said that Kadyrov-loyal gunmen have abducted Arbi Khachukayev of rights group LAW in Moscow and flown him to Chechyna.  Chechnya’s interior ministry claimed that Khachukayev had been seized for taking part in an ‘armed assault’.  A group of prominent journalists and activists have drawn up a petition demanding that the case against rights activist Grigory Solominsky, who was detained and beaten on October 9th, be dropped.