["At the beginning of the rally, Moscow police said around 16,500 people were taking part. After it ended at about 5 pm local time, police said that according to their estimates at least 21,000 people attended the event. Opposition member Sergey Davidis said nearly 50,000 people participated in the march, RIA Novosti reported." (See at sl. no. III below.) "Close to 100,000 people turned out, according to organisers. Police estimated the crowd at more than 16,000." (See at sl. no. II below.) "Nemtsov, who had accused Putin of waging a war against Ukraine and opposed Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine last year, was emphatically placed in the category of enemies. He had reportedly been planning to publish a report on Russia's direct involvement in the fighting in Ukraine's east." (See at sl. no. I below.) "Others were more defiant, carrying cardboard posters featuring the words "I am not afraid" in bold lettering." (See at sl. no. I below.)]
I/III. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/thousands-march-in-honor-of-slain-opposition-activist-nemtsov-video/516727.html Thousands March in Honor of Slain Opposition Activist Nemtsov (Video) By Ivan Nechepurenko, Gabrielle Tétrault-FarberMar. 01 2015 17:30 Last edited 21:49 Maxim Shemetov / Reuters Holding placards declaring "I am not afraid," thousands of Russians marched in Moscow on Sunday in memory of Nemtsov, whose murder has widened a split in society that some say could threaten Russia's future. A sea of mourning Muscovites marched silently through downtown Moscow on Sunday in honor of Boris Nemtsov, one of President Vladimir Putin's most virulent critics, who was gunned down steps from the Kremlin on Friday night. Black ribbons were pinned to the tricolor Russian flags many among the thousands of mourners waved as they filed onto Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge, where Nemtsov took his final steps. The crowd brandished an array of photographs of the handsome politician, who had been a household name in Russia since the 1990s. "Heroes do not die," read their signs. ***Others were more defiant, carrying cardboard posters featuring the words "I am not afraid" in bold lettering.*** [Emphasis added.] When the mourners reached the bridge, which leads off Red Square over the Moscow River and offers one of the city's most stunning views of the Kremlin, they paid their respects at the precise spot where Nemtsov was murdered, bowing their heads and laying flowers atop an ever-expanding mound. "This is not only an opposition march," Gennady Gudkov, himself a former opposition politician and one of the march's organizers, told The Moscow Times on the scene. "This is a march for all the people who have come to understand we have reached a dangerous point." The official number of participants, like in many protests or public events, remains disputed. Organizers of the march estimated that some 50,000 people had turned out, while the Moscow Police Department said in a statement Sunday evening that about 21,000 people had taken part in the memorial event. Sunday's silent march replaced a planned anti-government protest, which Nemtsov had been set to lead. Similar events were held in other Russian cities, including St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl. A strong police presence -- both on the ground and in the sky -- attested to fears that the event could be disrupted by radicals or enemies of the opposition. No violent incidents were reported. In what appears to have been a carefully planned assassination, the suspects fired at least six bullets at Nemtsov as he walked across the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge on Friday night, four of which hit him in the back and heart. Nemtsov had been one of the most energetic and outspoken critics of Putin and his government over the past 15 years. He was a member of several oppositional political parties and helped organize numerous political rallies in Moscow and around Russia. Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement Saturday that investigators are currently working with two primary theories: The murder was either an attempt to destabilize the political situation in Russia or was conducted by Islamic extremists in revenge for Nemtsov's stance over the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris. Other less prominent theories include an attack by Ukrainian radicals, or by someone seeking revenge over Nemtsov's romantic life or financial affairs, the committee said. Nemtsov's ferocious opposition to the Kremlin has not been named -- at least officially -- among the possible motives behind the crime. Mourners that spoke to The Moscow Times expressed sadness and outrage at Nemtsov's murder, but also vocalized concern over the implications of the grisly crime. "This [Nemtsov's murder] means that anyone can be killed in the center of Moscow," said Timofei Krit, a 28-year-old researcher at the physics faculty of Moscow State University. "But this doesn't mean we should be afraid. We have to fight for our belief that we can go home at night and be safe." Some opposition figures have received death threats, as Nemtsov had, in the aftermath of the murder. The Twitter feed of opposition State Duma deputy Dmitry Gudkov, the son of Gennady Gudkov and a leading figure in anti-government protests, was inundated with ominous messages, which claimed that he was "next on the list" and that he should fear for his life. "I don't fear for myself as much as for my family," said the elder Gudkov, who was on the front line of Sunday's march. Media-Propelled Hate Since the Ukraine crisis has unfolded, unleashing a wave of patriotic fervor, Nemtsov and the opposition movement overall have lost much of their support among the general public. Only 15 percent of respondents said they sympathized with politicians such as Nemtsov, Mikhail Kasyanov, Alexei Navalny and other opposition figures, according to a survey published by the Levada Center independent pollster Friday. The poll, conducted among 1,600 respondents across Russia with a margin of error not exceeding 3.4 percent, found that 68 percent said they did not sympathize with them. Pro-government media outlets have intensified their efforts to undermine and discredit any signs of dissent in Russia in the past few years, contributing to the deep sense of alienation and mistrust among various social groups in the country, Alexei Makarkin, deputy director of the Moscow-based Center for Political Technologies think tank, told The Moscow Times in an interview on Saturday. "Anti-liberal propaganda has fostered a sense of mutual hatred in society. What we have is a situation that could detonate at any moment," he said. "This killing demonstrates to what extent hatred has been legitimized or even sanctioned in Russia. Society was irritated for a long time, but when the hatred comes from TV screens, it makes a big difference," he added. Some mourners at Sunday's memorial echoed Makarkin's analysis, holding up signs reading "Propaganda kills." Makarkin specifically pointed to emotive and incendiary media coverage of the Ukraine conflict, saying it had separated society into "patriots" and "enemies." For instance, the Gazprom-owned NTV channel was scheduled to broadcast another episode of its "Anatomy of Protest" program on Sunday that -- its trailers enthusiastically boasted -- was supposed to portray the alleged role of opposition members, including Nemtsov, in working to foment a Ukraine-style revolution in Russia. The channel removed the program from its Sunday schedule after news broke of Nemtsov's death. Structure of the Situation ***Nemtsov, who had accused Putin of waging a war against Ukraine and opposed Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine last year, was emphatically placed in the category of enemies. He had reportedly been planning to publish a report on Russia's direct involvement in the fighting in Ukraine's east.*** [Emphasis added.] Together with his political allies, Nemtsov has accused Putin of rampant corruption, claiming that he enjoys a life of immense luxury with personal palaces, yachts and aircraft at his disposal. The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed these accusations. "Regardless of who killed Nemtsov, it's perfectly clear why this murder was committed. It was done simply to demonstrate the 'structure of the situation,'" Alexander Morozov, a political scientist and editor-in-chief of the online magazine Russian Journal, wrote on his Facebook page. "The structure of the situation demands that there must be killings, and the more killings, the better," he wrote. Everybody Has to Stop A former political ally of Nemtsov's and the current head of Rusnano state corporation Anatoly Chubais said in a statement about his slain friend that "the demand for anger, hatred and aggression has been created in the country." "If only several days ago here in our city people marched with posters saying, "Let's finish the fifth column" and today Nemtsov is killed, let's ask ourselves, what will happen tomorrow?" Chubais said Saturday, standing on the spot where Nemtsov was gunned down. "Everyone has to stop -- the government, opposition, liberals, communists, nationalists, conservatives. Everyone. It is time to stop and to think for a moment about where we're bringing Russia." Nemtsov will be honored at a public memorial service at Moscow's Sakharov Center on Tuesday, before being buried in the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery, the resting place of another murdered Kremlin critic, Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Firebrand opposition blogger Alexei Navalny, currently serving a 15-day prison sentence for having handed out flyers announcing the march that had initially been planned for Sunday, said he would request permission from the authorities to attend the funeral. Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, could not confirm Saturday whether the president planned to attend Nemtsov's funeral. "The President stated that this cruel murder has all the makings of a contract crime and is absolutely provocative in nature," Peskov said, noting that the president would take the investigation into Nemtsov's murder under his "personal control." Contact the authors at [email protected] and [email protected] II/III. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/02/opposition-hold-vigil-murdered-kremlin-critic-150228235756637.html Mass rally held in Moscow to honour slain Putin critic Tens of thousands pay tribute to former deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov who was killed on Friday night. 02 Mar 2015 01:13 GMT | Politics, Russia, Vladimir Putin, Europe Share via Facebook 2032 Share via Twitter 514Share via Reddit1All Social EmailPrintSend Feedback STORY HIGHLIGHTS Boris Nemtsov was shot at least four times from a car Nemtsov was an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin Putin offered his condolences and called the murder a provocation The Investigative Committee, answering to Putin, opened an investigation Tens of thousands of people have marched through Moscow in memory of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, who was gunned down in the Russian capital on Friday night. The slain opposition leader was supposed to have led Sunday's rally that instead was attended by mourners marching through an avenue alongside River Moskva. Close to 100,000 people turned out, according to organisers. Police estimated the crowd at more than 16,000. Nemtsov was gunned down shortly before midnight Friday as he walked across a bridge near the Kremlin. The killing came just hours after a radio interview in which he denounced President Vladimir Putin's "mad, aggressive policy'' in Ukraine. Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from Moscow, said security was "very tight" for the rally. "Big anti-Kremlin marches are a rarity these days, with freedom of assembly so tightly controlled by the authorities," he said. "The challenge for Russia's opposition now is whether it can use the emotion generated by Boris Nemtsov's murder into a re-energised push for political change." Investigation launched National investigators who answer to Putin say they are pursuing several lines of inquiry, including the possibility that Nemtsov, who was 55, was killed by Muslim attackers or that the opposition killed him to blacken the president's name. Kremlin critics who were killed or died in suspicious circumstances Boris Berezovsky, 67, a former oligarch and fierce foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Found hanged in a bathroom at his home in the UK on March 23, 2013. Anna Politkovskaya, 48, a journalist, is shot to death at the entrance to her apartment block in central Moscow on October 7, 2006. Alexander Litvinenko, 43, former intelligence officer turned Putin critic dies after allegedly drinking tea laced with radioactive on November 23, 2006. Putin's opponents say such suggestions show the cynicism of Russia's leaders as they whip up nationalism, hatred and anti-Western hysteria to rally support for his policies on Ukraine and deflect blame for an economic crisis. "It is a blow to Russia. If political views are punished this way, then this country simply has no future," Sergei Mitrokhin, an opposition leader, said of Nemtsov's murder. Putin has described the killing as a "provocation", and told Nemtsov's 86-year-old mother, Dina Eidman, that the killers would be found and punished. He also promised to do everything possible to bring to justice those responsible for Nemtsov's killing. "Everything will be done so that the organisers and perpetrators of a vile and cynical murder get the punishment they deserve," Putin said in a telegram to Nemtsov's mother published on the Kremlin's website. He said Nemtsov's death was an irreparable loss and that he had "left his trace in Russia's history, in politics and public life". Nemtsov was one of the leading lights of an opposition struggling to revive its fortunes three years after mass rallies against Putin failed to prevent him from returning to the presidency after four years as prime minister. Putin has now been Russia's dominant leader since 2000, when ailing President Boris Yeltsin chose the former KGB spy as his successor, a role Nemtsov had once been destined to play. Read more: Boris Nemtsov's last walk Supporters pay tribute to slain Russian opposition leader Many opposition leaders have been jailed on what they say are trumped-up charges, or have fled the country. Nemtsov had hoped, however, to start the opposition's revival with a march in Marino on the outskirts of Moscow on Sunday to protest against Putin's economic policies and what they see as Russia's involvement in the separatist war in east Ukraine. The Kremlin denies any role in the fighting. Nemtsov had said in an interview that he feared Putin may want him dead because of his outspoken criticism of Russia's role in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Nemtsov had told him about two weeks ago that he planned to publish evidence of Russian involvement in Ukraine's separatist conflict. "Someone was very afraid of this... They killed him," Poroshenko said in televised comments shown in Ukraine. ***Organisers said close to 100,000 people turned out in central Moscow on Sunday to mourn Nemtsov, but police estimated the crowd at 16,000 [EPA]*** [Emphasis added.] Nemtsov was shot to death near the Kremlin and Red Square in central Moscow [EPA] Source: Al Jazeera and agencies III. http://rt.com/news/236569-nemtsov-mourning-rally-murder/ Thousands mourn slain opposition politician Nemtsov at Moscow march Published time: March 01, 2015 10:54 Edited time: March 01, 2015 18:08 Get short URL People visit the site where Boris Nemtsov was recently murdered, with St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin walls seen in the background, February 28, 2015. (Reuters/Maxim Zmeyev) Download video (51.26 MB) Tags Anissa Naouai, Crime, Moscow, Neil Harvey, Opposition, Politics, Protest, Rally, Russia Thousands gathered at a rally in commemoration of the murdered opposition figure Boris Nemtsov in the Russian capital. Demonstrators have marched through the center of Moscow, crossing over the bridge near the Kremlin where the politician was shot dead. ***At the beginning of the rally, Moscow police said around 16,500 people were taking part. After it ended at about 5 pm local time, police said that according to their estimates at least 21,000 people attended the event. Opposition member Sergey Davidis said nearly 50,000 people participated in the march, RIA Novosti reported.*** [Emphasis added.] The rally's participants marched in silence. Those in the front row were holding a banner reading, "Heroes don't die and these bullets target each of us." Many were carrying flags, flowers and copies of Nemtsov's portrait. The mourners visited the site of Nemstov's murder, which has been cordoned off by police. Even though the march was in memory of the slain opposition figure, there were several people who carried posters with calls urging the authorities to free Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko, including her lawyer. She had been detained by Moscow on charges of connection to Russian journalists' murders in Donbass. Police also prevented about a dozen nationalists, some wearing masks, carrying black-yellow-and-white flags, from participating in the march. In St Petersburg at least 6,000 people gathered for a commemoration rally at Marsovo Polye, local police said. Mourning events were also held in other Russian cities, including Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Orenburg, Tomsk and Khabarovsk. The mourning march is instead of the Vesna (Spring) opposition rally, that had been planned for Sunday, but was canceled due to Nemtsov's death. The slain politician was one of the organizers of the rally and called on people to come join it in an interview given just hours before he was shot. Thousands of people have laid flowers at the scene of the murder. Boris Nemtsov was shot several times just before midnight Friday, while he walked across the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge leading from the Red Square, allegedly in the company of a Ukrainian model, Anna Duritskaya. READ MORE: Opposition politician Boris Nemtsov killed in the center of Moscow It was first reported that the fatal shots were fired from a passing-by vehicle. Later a CCTV footage of the incident emerged, which suggests that a killer could have been waiting for Nemtsov on the bridge and then escaped on a car parked nearby. The footage is a low-resolution one and only allows to distinguish the cars on the bridge and the figures of people moving along it. READ MORE: Opposition politician Nemtsov's murder caught on CCTV camera (VIDEO) Investigators are currently looking into five possible motives behind the assassination, according to Vladimir Markin, spokesman for the Investigative Committee. The politician's murder could have been a provocation to destabilize the political situation in Russia, Markin said. It could have also been linked to the threats Nemtsov received over his stance on Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris or the current civil war in the east of Ukraine. The politician's business activities and a possible assault related to his personal life are also being looked into. READ MORE: Nemtsov murder: Russian investigators probing several possible motives Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised that everything will be done to punish those responsible for the organization and execution of the murder, which he described as "vile and cynical." The crime has been condemned by leading politicians in and outside Russia, with US President Barack Obama, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel urging a thorough investigation of the crime. Nemtsov, 55, came into the spotlight as governor of Nizhny Novgorod region from 1991-97. He also served as energy minister and deputy prime minister under former President Boris Yeltsin. After 1998 he participated in the creation of several liberal movements and parties, serving as a member of parliament. Since 2012, he co-chaired the liberal party RPR-PARNAS (Republican Party of Russia - People's Freedom Party). He ran for mayor of Sochi in 2013, but lost the race with only 13.6 percent of the popular vote. The same year, he was elected a member of the Yaroslavl Region parliament. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
