2 Russians Guilty of Killing Rights Lawyer and Journalist

A young Russian nationalist and his common-law wife were convicted Thursday in the particularly brazen murders of a prominent human rights lawyer and a journalist two years ago, as the jury sided with prosecutors who argued that the ideologically driven defendants considered their victims enemies of Russia.

The slain lawyer, Stanislav Markelov, 34, had worked to jail violent nationalists and had once pursued a murder case against the man convicted of both fatal shootings, which were carried out at close range in broad daylight on a busy Moscow street near the Kremlin. The journalist, Anastasia Baburova, 25, was a freelancer who happened to be interviewing Mr. Markelov. Both had connections to the loose network of Russian groups opposed to the nationalist and neo-fascist groups that have proliferated here since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Members of the country’s beleaguered human rights community immediately praised the verdict as a rare victory for justice in a country where high-profile murders are rarely solved.

“Our long experience allows us to distinguish between cases fabricated by the secret services and law enforcement agencies and cases that these services and structures investigate conscientiously,” Oleg P. Orlov, the head of the rights group Memorial said in a statement. “Today we can confirm that the real killers and not someone arbitrarily accused were seated on the defendants’ bench.”

The nationalist, Nikita Tikhonov, 30, was found guilty of the fatal shootings, while his common-law wife, Yevgenia Khasis, 26, served as lookout. Both had denied any guilt, and both slashed their wrists this week in what appeared to be an attempt to delay the verdict.

Sentencing is expected next month, but their lawyers vowed to appeal.

Mr. Markelov’s death added to a growing toll from the community of rights activists here. He had worked closely with Anna Politkovskaya, the investigative journalist who was gunned down in October 2006, and also with Natalya Estemirova, the rights worker who was kidnapped and murdered in July 2009.

There have been no convictions in those killings.

Ms. Baburova worked at the newspaper Novaya Gazeta, where Ms. Politkovskaya had also worked.

Other journalists from the paper have also met violent ends.

Vladimir Zherebenkov, a lawyer who represented Ms. Baburova’s parents, said they were “deeply satisfied.”

“They now know that the perpetrators of this crime will definitely be punished,” Mr. Zherebenkov said.