Russian Antifascists Commemorate Slain Lawyer, Journalist

Antifascist activists are holding marches in Russian cities to honor human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova, who were gunned down in Moscow six years ago.

Dozens of people marched in the Siberian city of Irkutsk on January 18, and marches were planned in Moscow and St. Petersburg on January 19.

Markelov and Baburova, who were known for crusading against ultranationalist violence, were shot dead in broad daylight near the Kremlin in 2009.

Two young neo-Nazi group members, Nikita Tikhonov and Yevgenia Khasis, were convicted in 2011. Tikhonov was sentenced to life in prison for murder and Khasis to 18 months for helping him.

Markelov had represented investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was murdered in 2006, as well as Chechen civilians abused by Russian troops.

The killings sparked accusations that the Kremlin was not doing enough to hunt down the attackers of activists and journalists.