Hearings into Kondopoga riots held

Sergey Mozgalyov faces charges of inciting racially-motivated violence in August in the Karelian town of Kondopoga in the north-west of Russia not far from the border with Finland. Two people died in the riots.

According to the inquiry, the 33-year-old took part in an attack on two employees of a restaurant, owned by people of ethnic Caucasus origin. So far several suspects have been arrested but the investigation is still underway. The fact that only Russian are being tried for the incident appears to be unfair, some people in Kondopoga believe.