On February 27, 2020, Parliamentarian for Global Action (PGA) solemnly marks the fifth anniversary of the assassination of Boris Nemtsov, an opposition politician, human rights advocate, and champion for democracy in Russia. Five years after Mr. Nemtsov’s audacious murder at close range, within sight of the Kremlin, justice remains elusive and his killers continue to enjoy impunity for their crimes while authorities demonstrate no willingness for a thorough investigation into his death.
PGA President Ms. Margareta Cederfelt (MP, Sweden) has, in her capacity as Special Rapporteur for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), led the international efforts to bring justice to the Nemtsov case and enquiry into his murder. Her new report concludes that Russian authorities have made no credible effort to investigate the assassination of Mr. Nemtsov and calls for a new and full investigation.
PGA Member Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Commission of the U.S. Congress, will today acknowledge the report at a hearing at the House of Representatives on “Human Rights in Russia on the Fifth Anniversary of the Nemtsov Assassination.” Ms. Cederfelt has provided written testimony, which can be accessed here. The full report will also be entered into the Congressional record.
The hearing was streamed live at 10AM Eastern Standard Time on February 27, 2020:
PGA members worldwide stand in solidarity and demand that Mr. Nemtsov and his surviving family and supporters receive justice. Mr. Nemtsov paid for his courageous defense of democracy with his life. His murder illustrates the enormous risks that elected officials -- particularly those in opposition -- face in an increasingly violent and volatile environment. In 2019, the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians logged 533 violations of the human rights of parliamentarians in 40 countries. Opposition members and advocates for democratic norms, including human rights and gender justice, frequently experience repression, political reprisal, abusive prosecutions, and personal victimization. These crimes also indicate that civil society and other vulnerable groups are also at risk. As. Ms Cederfelt writes in her report:
The alleged flaws of the investigation into Mr. Nemtsov’s assassination need to be seen in the larger context of impunity for attacks on the opposition and on journalists. A reoccurring pattern is that authorities show unwillingness to investigate crimes where the opposition, or journalists, are victims – or even to intervene in ongoing attacks on activists. When an investigation is conducted, political motives are typically excluded. In many of these cases, no one is prosecuted. When someone is persecuted, it is for carrying out the attack, while organizers and instigators are rarely identified . . . Activists and analysts assess that the smear campaigns from state-controlled media against oppositional persons and independent NGOs contribute to the attacks. The public discourse incites hatred and signals to potential perpetrators and law enforcers that the rights and safety of these persons are not backed by the state.
Attacks on politicians must be condemned and those responsible brought to justice. For these reasons, PGA's Campaign for Democratic Renewal and Human Rights enlists, equips, and empowers parliamentarians as democracy defenders, including by supporting their security and well-being, standing against violence and abuse in all its forms, and combatting impunity through such legislative initiatives as so-called “Magnitsky Sanctions” for human rights abusers, for which Mr. Nemtsov campaign and which have been adopted by the United States and Lithuania and for which PGA members have advocated in the European Union. These initiatives seek to honor and carry on Mr. Nemtsov’s legacy and bring an end to impunity for his murder.