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Boris Nemtsov killing: Supporters march in Moscow | Boris Nemtsov killing: Supporters march in Moscow |
(35 minutes later) | |
Thousands of people are marching in Moscow to remember Russian opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead outside the Kremlin in 2015. | Thousands of people are marching in Moscow to remember Russian opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead outside the Kremlin in 2015. |
Nemtsov, a reformer, democrat and a deputy prime minister under former President Boris Yeltsin, was a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin. | Nemtsov, a reformer, democrat and a deputy prime minister under former President Boris Yeltsin, was a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin. |
Five Chechen men went on trial for the killing in October. | Five Chechen men went on trial for the killing in October. |
They deny the charges and Nemtsov's relatives fear whoever ordered the murder will never be found. | They deny the charges and Nemtsov's relatives fear whoever ordered the murder will never be found. |
Separately on Sunday, anti-Kremlin activist Ildar Dadin, the first person jailed under new laws targeting protests, was released from a Siberian prison. The Supreme Court had overturned his conviction on Wednesday. | Separately on Sunday, anti-Kremlin activist Ildar Dadin, the first person jailed under new laws targeting protests, was released from a Siberian prison. The Supreme Court had overturned his conviction on Wednesday. |
He says he was tortured by staff at the prison, an accusation officials deny. | He says he was tortured by staff at the prison, an accusation officials deny. |
'Vile and cynical' | 'Vile and cynical' |
BBC Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford says the marchers, numbering thousands rather than tens of thousands, are moving slowly towards a square in the city. | BBC Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford says the marchers, numbering thousands rather than tens of thousands, are moving slowly towards a square in the city. |
Our correspondent says the marchers have not been given permission to travel to the Moskvoretsky bridge where Nemtsov was shot dead, but some will probably go anyway. | |
The bridge has already been lined with flowers of tribute. | |
The rally appears peaceful, although green ink was thrown into the face of Putin critic and former PM Mikhail Kasyanov as he marched on Sunday. | |
Rallies are also expected in St Petersburg and other cities. | Rallies are also expected in St Petersburg and other cities. |
Nemtsov, who was 55, was shot in the back as he walked home from a restaurant with his Ukrainian girlfriend late at night near the Kremlin on 27 February 2015. | Nemtsov, who was 55, was shot in the back as he walked home from a restaurant with his Ukrainian girlfriend late at night near the Kremlin on 27 February 2015. |
He had earlier been at the radio station Ekho Moskvy, calling on listeners to join a protest. He had accused Russia's president of launching an illegal war with Ukraine, prompting Western sanctions and an economic crisis. | |
He had also been planning to publish a file on Russian involvement in eastern Ukraine. | He had also been planning to publish a file on Russian involvement in eastern Ukraine. |
Those who marched on Sunday carried flags, posters and quotes from Nemtsov. Some read "The war with Ukraine was a crime of Putin", "Russia without Putin" and "I am against the annexation of Crimea". | |
Nemtsov's political allies believe the killing was meant to terrify them into silence. | Nemtsov's political allies believe the killing was meant to terrify them into silence. |
Opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza earlier urged people to join the anniversary rallies. | Opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza earlier urged people to join the anniversary rallies. |
Mr Kara-Murza is recovering abroad after an illness that left him in a medically induced coma. His symptoms were similar to a near-fatal illness in 2015 that he believed was the result of deliberate poisoning. | Mr Kara-Murza is recovering abroad after an illness that left him in a medically induced coma. His symptoms were similar to a near-fatal illness in 2015 that he believed was the result of deliberate poisoning. |
The trial of the five Chechens for Nemtsov's murder began in October. | The trial of the five Chechens for Nemtsov's murder began in October. |
The suspect who investigators say carried out the killing, Zaur Dadayev, was an officer under the command of pro-Moscow's Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechen Republic in the volatile North Caucasus. | The suspect who investigators say carried out the killing, Zaur Dadayev, was an officer under the command of pro-Moscow's Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechen Republic in the volatile North Caucasus. |
The Chechen leader has denied any link to the killing. | The Chechen leader has denied any link to the killing. |
Boris Nemtsov murder: Who are the suspects? | Boris Nemtsov murder: Who are the suspects? |
President Putin called the murder "vile and cynical" and vowed that those responsible would be held to account. | President Putin called the murder "vile and cynical" and vowed that those responsible would be held to account. |
Russia has seen several killings of high-profile politicians and journalists. | Russia has seen several killings of high-profile politicians and journalists. |
But the country has a long history of prosecuting alleged hit-men and then failing to follow the chain of command upwards to discover who ordered the murder or why, our correspondent says. | But the country has a long history of prosecuting alleged hit-men and then failing to follow the chain of command upwards to discover who ordered the murder or why, our correspondent says. |