The trial of Alexander Lebedev continued in a surreal vein yesterday, as the court heard from a former billionaire who now lives in the forest as a pious peasant, and it was discussed whether or not it is in line with Christian values to hit someone in the face. Mr Levedev, the of father Evgeny Lebedev, who owns The Independent, Evening Standard and i is on trial for "hooliganism motivated by political hatred" for punching controversial property tycoon Sergei Polonsky during a televised talk show in 2011. He could face five years in jail if found guilty. The odd nature of the charges, which hinge on the prosecution being able to prove that Mr Lebedev, pictured, did indeed act out of "political hatred", has been matched by bizarre goings on in the courtroom.
Already, the Moscow court has heard from witnesses who say they were approached by plainclothes men and asked to testify that they had watched the programme. Yesterday, it was the turn of the defence to call witnesses, including another participant in the programme, German Sterligov, formerly a businessman who nearly a decade ago withdrew to the Russian countryside. He lives in Tolstoyan, in religious solitude, in an isolated shack with no electricity.
He said that Mr Polonsky had been acting so strangely during the recording of the television show that he had thought the tycoon might be "high on drugs", and added that he himself had been close to hitting Mr Polonsky.
When asked whether this did not contradict his religious convictions, he said "God blesses religious warriors", and that it is fine to hit someone who offended you. Almost all the witnesses in the case so far have said they did not see any political motivation in Mr Lebedev's actions, and even most of the prosecution witnesses have largely backed Mr Lebedev's version of events. "Absolutely no ideological or political questions were discussed during the programme," said Pavel Selin, one of the programme's hosts, who also appeared as a witness.
Yuri Zak, one of Mr Lebedev's lawyers, said that although there were obvious absurdities about the case, it was nothing unusual. "Unfortunately, many things are normal for Russian justice that shouldn't be normal," he said. "The case is comical, though it's a sad comedy." The most notable absence in the courtroom is the man who instigated the charges - Mr Polonsky. His lawyers have told the court that he is unable to attend the hearings because he is not allowed to leave Cambodia, where a court has released him on bail on charges of assaulting local sailors. However, Mr Lebedev's aides say they have evidence that Mr Polonsky left Cambodia long ago and is now in Israel.
The trial was adjourned for three weeks. The judge granted Mr Lebedev permission to leave Russia during the break in hearings. When the trial resumes on 21 June, it is expected to reach a swift conclusion.
