Lavrov warns against politicizing Nemtsov case
Iran Press TV
Mon Mar 2, 2015 1:44PM
The Russian foreign minister has warned against "politicized' and 'provocative' interpretations of the murder of opposition figure Boris Nemtsov.
'It is … indecent to use such tragedies as cowardly murder of Boris Nemtsov to try to substitute for investigators, proposing openly politicized, unsubstantiated and provocative interpretations,' said Sergei Lavrov in the Swiss city of Geneva on Monday.
'We must prevent any politicization of the human rights agenda, or worse allowing it to be used as a tool for fueling confrontation,' he added.
The Russian top diplomat stressed that a thorough investigation will be launched into the incident, saying those involved in the killing will not get away with their "filthy crime."
'This filthy crime will be investigated in strictest compliance with law, and those guilty will not escape punishment,' Lavrov added.
China's reaction
Condemning Nemtsov's murder, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday that the issue is a "domestic matter" for Russia.
Russian authorities are able to 'maintain their domestic stability," she said.
A Chinese newspaper affiliated with the country's ruling Communist Party also described Nemtsov's assassination as a serious blow to Moscow.
'This incident has dealt a heavy blow to Russia's national unity and added pressure to the Russian government in dealing with thorny issues,' read the editorial in the Global Times, which also warned, 'The murder of Nemtsov runs counter to common political logic and people feel odd about it.'
Putin's vow to prosecute Nemtsov's killers
On Saturday, the Russian president vowed to bring to justice those behind Nemtsov's murder.
"Everything will be done for the organizers and executors of this vile and cynical murder to receive the punishment they deserve,' read the statement issued by Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
He condemned the killing as part of the smear campaign against the Russian leadership, saying it 'had all the hallmarks of a contract killing and is entirely provocative in nature.'
Nemtsov's murder
On Friday night, Nemtsov was shot dead as he was walking across a bridge in the Russian capital city of Moscow.
According to Nemtsov's lawyer, Vadim Prohorov, over the last few months the politician had started to receive death threats on social media sites.
The assassination came ahead of the annual spring opposition rally scheduled for March 1 in Moscow, which he was set to lead.
FNR/HMV/SS
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