ST. PETERSBURG -- The ongoing trial of a neofascist group in St. Petersburg is garnering lots of publicity because of the role played by a journalist in arresting group members, RFE/RL’s Russian Service reports.
The group -- which has been accused of a number of hate crimes, including manslaughter -- was apprehended as a result of a journalistic investigation three years ago.
The deputy chief of the Agency for Journalistic Investigations, Yevgeny Vyshenkov, told RFE/RL that he attended many gatherings of local skinheads in St. Petersburg undercover for two months to collect information about them.
The information later helped to detain the group's leaders.
Police shot one leader to death in May 2006.
Thirteen members of the neofascist group are on trial.
The group -- which has been accused of a number of hate crimes, including manslaughter -- was apprehended as a result of a journalistic investigation three years ago.
The deputy chief of the Agency for Journalistic Investigations, Yevgeny Vyshenkov, told RFE/RL that he attended many gatherings of local skinheads in St. Petersburg undercover for two months to collect information about them.
The information later helped to detain the group's leaders.
Police shot one leader to death in May 2006.
Thirteen members of the neofascist group are on trial.