The Leningrad trial adjourned today after defense counsel asked the court for leniency, it was learned here today from reliable sources. A verdict is expected to be rendered tomorrow by the president of the three-man court, N.A. Yermakov. According to the source the defense wound up its case yesterday with a plea to reduce the charges from “banditry and treason” to illegally leaving the country and minor theft of State property. The 11 accused, nine of whom are Jews, are charged with conspiring to hijack a Soviet airliner at Leningrad’s Smolny Airport last June 15. According to the Soviet criminal code, preparation to commit a crime is tantamount to committing it and carries the same penalty although the degree to which preparations had progressed at the time of arrest can constitute navigating circumstances. Chief prosecutor R. Rudenko reportedly has demanded the death penalty for two of the defendants, Maj. Mark Dymshitz, a former military pilot and Edvard Kuznetzov, and terms of five to 15 years imprisonment for the other accused. It was not clear from today’s report whether the defense counsel’s plea for leniency applied to the two principal defendants or to all 11. Under the criminal code illegal departure and minor theft of State property carries a maximum penalty of ten years’ imprisonment. There was no further confirmation today of reports received by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that a new trial was to open in Leningrad this morning. According to the report, the defendant is Igor Borisovich Borisov, a Jew reportedly arrested after applying for an emigration visa.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
