A Russian citizen and YouTuber who was almost killed by an angry lynch mob in Cancún two years ago has been found guilty of homicide for killing one of his attackers during the incident.
Aleksei Makeev was dubbed #LordRussianNazi by Cancún locals for racist and abusive behavior, which he himself documented in a series of videos that he uploaded to a YouTube channel. The videos show him harassing and insulting residents in Russian, English and broken Spanish.
In May 2017, an angry mob of at least 100 people descended upon the Russian man’s residence, intent on lynching him in retaliation for his aggressive behavior: earlier that day, he had reportedly hit a women and child in a neighborhood store. The mob managed to pull Makeev out of his house and beat him into a coma, but not before the Russian stabbed one of his attackers, killing him.
During the trial, Makeev’s defense argued that he had stabbed the victim in self-defense. But the state used a simulation of the mechanics of the act to demonstrate that the accused had used his physical superiority over the deceased to stab him multiple times.
Makeev had lived in Cancún since at least 2015. He had been employed as a dive instructor but was dismissed for aggressive behavior towards clients. He also had a record of indecently exposing himself.
Following the attempted lynching, during which he sustained a fractured skull, broken arm, blows to his entire body and showed signs of cerebral bleeding, Makeev was treated at the Cancún General Hospital before being transferred to jail to await trial.
In May, Russian human rights lawyer Gennady Makarov posted a 15-minute video on YouTube in which Makeev claimed that Mexican authorities had continually violated his rights during his two-year incarceration. He claimed that authorities denied him consular assistance, medical attention and contact with his family.
He also charged that representation by his government-appointed lawyers had been inadequate and that court interpreters had been incorrectly translating his statements into Spanish.
After the video was uploaded, Makeev was reportedly attacked by fellow prisoners and wounded with a sharp object. Another prisoner who went to his defense was seriously injured and had to be hospitalized.
Makeev’s sentencing is scheduled to take place Tuesday.
Source: Milenio (sp)
