MOSCOW (JTA) — The leader of a far-right Russian movement was hospitalized after being beaten.
Alexander Belov, the head of the Movement Against Illegal Immigration, suffered a concussion and was in moderate condition Monday following the Dec. 6 attack, according to the Vremya Novostey newspaper.
Belov faces charges of inciting hatred and extremism at the Russian March on Nov. 4, 2007 for railing publicly against illegal immigrants and Jews. His Dec. 16 court appearance was postponed because of the attack.
Meanwhile, a deputy to Belov and co-founder of his group was killed in a car accident on the same day Belov was beaten. Ivan Lebedev died at the scene of the accident, and two others were hospitalized.
Belov called off a Russian March that was scheduled for Dec. 12 because Lebedev’s funeral will be the same day. The marches often feature supporters shouting anti-Semitic slogans.
Belov had traveled to a Moscow suburb to attend a demonstration. He was met by masked men, beaten with baseball bats and knocked unconscious. Another man dragged Belov into a car and they drove away.
In interviews with Russian media, Belov said he suspects a group of anti-fascist activists or the Russian security services for the attack. He has offered a reward of $10,000 for information leading to his attackers, Vremya Novostey reported.
