Oleg Shcherbinsky went on trial November 22, 2005, behind closed doors, and was sentenced early February to four years in a penal colony. Investigators said he had failed to allow Altai Governor Mikhail Yevdokimov's car, which had flashing lights on its roof, to pass, thereby violating traffic rules.
The judge said Yevdokimov's driver had the right to exceed the speed limit because he was on duty and was following the governor's orders. The defendant had pleaded not guilty, claiming the governor's car was moving too fast to avoid the collision.
Shcherbinsky's lawyers demanded that the sentence be annulled and that their defendant be granted a re-trial.
A resolution adopted Wednesday at a rally to support Shcherbinsky in the Altai Territory's center of Barnaul will be passed to the court. The resolution contains demands for an open trial and independent expert witnesses.
"The fact that a high-ranking official was killed in a traffic accident should not influence the impartiality of the court. Shcherbinsky's sentence casts doubt on citizens' confidence in the judicial authorities' fairness in protecting their interests," the resolution reads.
Meanwhile, the United Russia party collected more than 27,000 signatures in Siberian and Far Eastern regions in support of Shcherbinsky. The party's petition will also be handed to court.
