[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3220]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           KILLING OF RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER BORIS NEMTSOV

  Mr. DURBIN. Today I recognize, on the Senate floor, the life and work 
of
a true Russian patriot: Mr. Boris Nemtsov.
  Tragically, Mr. Nemtsov was gunned down Friday night as he walked 
across the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge with his girlfriend, just yards 
from the Kremlin and Red Square in central Moscow. Hours before his 
death, he had given a radio interview where he criticized Russian 
President Putin for his aggression in Ukraine and Russia's own economic 
woes--brave acts in a nation where criticism of Putin is not tolerated.
  Mr. Nemtsov has been one of the most vocal and highest profile 
opposition leaders in recent years, tirelessly speaking up for 
democratic reforms and rights on behalf of the Russian people. In fact, 
Mr. Nemtsov has been working on behalf of the Russian people for nearly 
30 years.
  He moved from physics into politics shortly after the Chernobyl 
disaster in 1986, first winning a seat in the Russian Parliament in 
1990. After a series of successful economic reforms as a 
Parliamentarian and later Governor, Nemtsov was then appointed Deputy 
Prime Minister under the first President of the Russian Federation, 
Boris Yeltsin, and even had a chance at the Presidency himself. 
However, he returned to Parliament after the 1998 crash of the Russian 
stock market until 2004. Since then, he was active in everything from 
politics to banking, and over the years he raised repeated concerns 
that Putin's policies were rolling back democracy and civic freedoms in 
Russia. Mr. Nemtsov had been arrested several times--and complained of 
official harassment--for his participation in demonstrations in support 
of reforms to end corruption, uphold the rule of law, and support basic 
freedoms.
  It is no surprise that tens of thousands of people showed up this 
Sunday to a rally in Moscow. Originally scheduled to lead the event 
himself to oppose Russian aggression in Ukraine, the rally turned into 
an opportunity for members of the opposition movement to mourn Mr. 
Nemtsov's death. People held images of Mr. Nemtsov, flew flags, and 
even held up posters and signs with phrases such as: ``I am not 
afraid.''
  Several thousand also showed up to his funeral Tuesday. Mr. Nemtsov's 
mother Dina Eidman received all the well-wishers. In recent months, she 
had reportedly shared her fears that her son may be killed for his 
criticism of President Putin.
  Under President Putin there has been a troubling pattern of silencing 
peaceful dissent--a problem no doubt made worse by the deliberate 
whipping up of nationalistic fervor in recent months around Putin's 
invasion of eastern Ukraine.
  We recall the tragic death in prison of Russian human rights lawyer 
Sergei Magnitsky, jailed for uncovering hundreds of millions of dollars 
in tax fraud perpetuated by Russian officials in 2009. Mr. Nemtsov had 
even visited Washington, DC, in 2010 to support the Magnitsky Act.
  Some of you may know of Natalya Estemirova or Anna Politkovskaya, two 
Russian human rights activists and journalists who were outspoken about 
human rights abuses in Chechnya, and murdered in 2009 and 2006, 
respectively. There was also the 2006 poisoning in London of Alexander 
Litvinenko, an FSB officer who defected and made several claims of 
corruption against Russian law enforcement officials. Incredulously, 
one of those suspected for his murder by British authorities was later 
elected to the Russian Parliament. Sadly, the list goes on.
  More recently, the nationalistic passions unleashed by the annexation 
of Crimea and Sevastopol last year has led to more narrowing of free 
speech and the marginalization of activists. Many have faced 
harassment, prison sentences, even violence. And in many of these types 
of cases, perpetrators are not brought to justice. In a country where 
authorities may sometimes be involved in crimes of their own and where 
law enforcement, judicial, and investigative bodies lack credibility, 
there is very little accountability.
  What has been happening in eastern Ukraine and Russia is deeply 
troubling. President Putin has used the invasion of Ukraine to justify 
a further crackdown on his own people's talents and aspirations. He has 
used state-controlled media to unleash anti-Western propaganda that is 
an insult to the Russia people. He has bet his people's economic and 
international standing on the pursuit and protection of his own 
kleptocracy. The Russian people deserve better.
  In the case of Mr. Nemtsov, I echo the words of President Obama and 
countless others: an independent investigation must take place to find 
out who was responsible for Mr. Nemtsov's death, and the perpetrators 
must be swiftly brought to justice. The same goes for the many others 
who had the courage to peacefully report the truth or voice dissent in 
Russia and then found themselves in jail or murdered.
  I joined Senator Johnson this week in leading a resolution 
recognizing Boris Nemtsov and calling for an investigation. I urge my 
colleagues to support this hero who has been taken from us too soon, 
and I hope we can continue to work in his honor to support the Russian 
people as they stand for democratic reforms.

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