June 15, 2006 - 16:54 AMT
Skinheads Accused of Murder of Armenian Stand Trial in Nizhny Novgorod
Two young people, members of a skinhead organization stand trial in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia. Alexander Boytsov is accused of public calls for extremist activities and inciting of national hatred. His friend Roman Lavrentyev is charged of premeditated murder, the press service of the department for Privolzhsky okrug at the Russian Ministry of Interior said.

The source said the investigation found out that September 17, 2005 Boytsov and Lavrentyev drinking alcohol with their friends calling them for violence against people of non-Slavonic nationality. On the same evening Lavrentyev noticed two unknown men with Caucasian appearance, one of whom was Tomas Amaryan, an Armenian citizen. Lavrentyev asked the men for a cigarette but they did not have one and tried to escape in order to avoid beating. Drunk Lavrentyev decided to kill Amaryan and ran after him. When the Armenian stumbled and fell down the skinhead took out a knife and stabbed him many times. Amaryan died in hospital.

It took the investigators two months to find and detain the criminals, reported RIA Novosti according to the press service.