Moscow marches to mark fifth anniversary of death of opposition leader Nemtsov

China News Service Moscow, February 29 (Reporter Wang Xiujun) On the 29th, more than 10,000 people in the center of Moscow held a parade in memory of the opposition leader Nemtsov, who was assassinated 5 years ago.

The event was approved in advance by Moscow authorities. According to statistics from the Moscow Ministry of the Interior, about 10,500 people participated in the event. However, according to statistics from the organizer of the event, the People's Liberal Party, more than 30,000 people participated in the event.

The parade began in the afternoon of the 29th. Participants held slogans such as "Support for fair elections", "Oppose lies, support truth", "Buy murderers should go to jail" and screamed slogans. They started from Strathnoy Avenue in the urban area to Academician Sakharov Avenue. On Academician Street in Sakharov, the marchers collectively mourned for one minute at Nemtsov. The entire procession was well-ordered and no public order violations occurred.

People's Liberal Party Chairman Kasyanov said that the organization of the parade to commemorate Nemtsov was intended to call on the government to find out what was behind the assassination of Nemtsov and urged the authorities to reform the electoral system.

On the same day, other cities such as Yekaterinburg, Vladivostok, and Irkutsk also held parades and rally activities.

Nemtsov was the first Deputy Prime Minister of Russia in the 1990s, and since 2012 he has been co-chair of the Russian opposition party "Russian Republican Party-People's Liberal Party" (predecessor of the People's Liberal Party). On the evening of February 27, 2015, Nemtsov was shot dead in the center of Moscow. Subsequently, the Russian authorities set up a special group to investigate the matter. Five people were subsequently arrested. In 2017, the gunman who killed Nemtsov was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and four others were sentenced to 11 to 19 years in prison. However, Nemtsov's supporters believe that the black hands behind the assassinations remain impunity. (Finish)