Support The Moscow Times!

Pro-Kremlin Movement Once Again Removes Nemtsov Memorial Plaque

Moskva News Agency

Hyper-nationalist pro-Kremlin activists have once again removed a makeshift plaque installed in honor of murdered opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, the state-run TASS news agency reported Wednesday.

SERB leader Igor Beketov told TASS that its activists dismantled the newly mounted plaque early on Wednesday and delivered it to the Moscow police. “Residents of the house have repeatedly warned those who arranged the Nemtsov memorial near their windows that this person had never lived in their house,” Beketov said.

He maintained that those who are responsible for installing the Nemtsov nameplate should face legal retribution.

The SERB movement removed a makeshift nameplate put up on Nemtsov’s house in central Moscow on Sept. 11. City officials argue that the plaque was installed illegally, while opposition politicians maintain that it was a lawful citizens’ initiative. Following its initial removal, an unnamed source in the city administration offered to install the memorial plaque “inside the entranceway” as a compromise.

SERB also raided a improvised memorial to the former deputy prime minister and fierce Kremlin critic on the bridge a month after his murder. Beketov, who also goes by the name Gosha Tarasevich, argued at the time that the movement seeks to “always fight traitors to Russia in all of its manifestations.”

Moscow authorities have refused calls for a memorial site to honor Nemtsov, citing regulations which require 10 years to pass after a person’s death. Another rule allows for a memorial plaque to be installed after a period of two years at the person’s workplace.

The Moscow Mayor’s Office reportedly rejected a September 2016 petition with 30,000 signatures asking for a small plaque commemorating Nemtsov to be erected on the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge. Nemtsov was gunned down on Feb. 27, 2015, while walking home in the evening across the bridge.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more