Russian nationalists sentenced for killing lawyer

The man found guilty of slaying human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova was sentenced to life in prison Friday by a Moscow court.

Nikita Tikhonov, 30, was found guilty last week of the two murders. Markelov and Baburova were shot dead in the very center of Moscow in the middle of the day in January 2009. Tikhonov's girlfriend, Yevgeniya Khasis, was sentenced to 18 years in jail for acting as an accessory to the murder.

Prosecutors said Tikhonov and Khasis were members of an ultranationalist group who opposed Markelovs work defending anti-fascist campaigners.