Statement of Anti-fascist Information Group of St. Petersburg

8th of May 2009 Kuybyshevskiy district court sentenced Aleksey Bychin to 5 years in prison, according to statue 111 part 3 of the Russian criminal codex (conscious causing of grievous bodily harm to two or more persons).

In fight which took place in night between 12th and 13th of June 2008, Aleksey pulled a knife when defending himself against two Nazis, who walked down the Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg, making Nazi greetings and shouting "Sieg Heil". Aleksey harmed other Nazi with a knife, after which Nazis escaped. Eventually it become known, that other one of the Nazis is a police officer. Since 18th of July of 2008, Aleksey has been under arrest.

According to defence, Aleksey was in no means planning a murder, and originally he was just defending himself but eventually took measures which overpassed necessary means of self-defence. There is a number of contradictions and attempts to hide facts in statements of the victims.
Defence is insisting that Bychin should be sentenced according to less serious statute 114 part 1, and sentence Bychin to time served, taking into account confession of the accused, and the fact that he has already partially paid the medical bill of one of the victims.

We consider sentence of Aleksey Bychin unjust, and we are certain that he was acting in a framework of self-defence.

e-mail: antifa_spb (at) riseup.net