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Choice of Boris Nemtsov

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Choice of Boris Nemtsov

The lives of opposition leaders in our countries are alike.

I first met Boris Nemtsov in Vilnius in 2012 after my escape from the Belarusian KGB. Boris came to my birthday party.

The first thing he did was to talk to my mother in the kitchen. He took her hand and asked: “How did you survive the arrest of your daughter?” He listened to her carefully and said: “My mother worries for me, too. She asks me to step aside. But I cannot.”

After that, Boris visited Vilnius and Warsaw several times to meet with us – former Belarusian political prisoners. He faced prosecution after the May 6 rally and his flat was raided. He asked many questions and listened to answers with great attention. I had the impression that he was preparing himself for imprisonment.

I remember being at our common Lithuanian friends' place near Vilnius. I don't know why but I told Boris: “You are like our Viktar Hanchar. You are both handsome, bright, strong. He was kidnapped and killed by Lukashenka. I am afraid no one will imprison you. You will be killed if you don't leave the country. Fools hate people like you. Lukashenka envied Hanchar, Putin envies you. You get everything from God, but they get it due to their unlimited power.”

Former deputy prime minister of Belarus and former general secretary of the CIS Economic Court Viktar Hanchar

Former deputy prime minister of Belarus and former general secretary of the CIS Economic Court Viktar Hanchar

Nemtsov understood the danger, but not fully. He was trying to convince me (and probably himself) that he “will be warned in case of a real threat”.

But no one warns if you have such a mastermind.

I talked to many of Boris's friends during these three terrible days. All of them are shocked. All understand that those responsible for Nemtsov's death won't be punished under the current regime. The West will probably condemn the incident but won't take any measures to stop political killings. European bureaucrats will accept any more or less satisfactory official version.

We, the Belarusians, have already passed through killings of our opposition leaders. Politicians and young opponents of the regimes are held in Belarusian and Russian jails, but officials of the EU and the US visit Minsk and Moscow “to keep peace in the world”. While they are talking to tyrants, the latter are killing such people as Boris Nemtsov and Viktar Hanchar.

Yes, many advised Nemtsov to leave the country for safety reasons because he could do more for his motehrland abroad. Boris was thinking about it, but he was a politician and he wanted to remain a politician in Russia. He also had children whom he adored.

What is the most important point, Boris once told me: “I cannot just leave. People hope on me.”

Natallia Radzina, editor-in-chief of charter97.org

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