“Bow to the memory of these people and say it again: people, give up revenge”. Yabloko honoured the memory of the murdered lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova
Press Release, 19.01.2023
Photos by the Yabloko Press Service
On 19 January, Yabloko leaders and activists in Moscow once again met at Prechistenka 3 to honour the memory of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova, who were killed by neo-Nazis 14 years ago. Yabloko founder Grigory Yavlinsky, Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov, Deputy Chairman Ivan Bolshakov, Moscow City Duma MP Sergei Mitrokhin, deputy chairs of the Moscow branch of Yabloko Kirill Goncharov and Andrei Morev, Chairman of the Yabloko Gender Faction Galina Mikhaleva, and other members of the party laid flowers at the impromptu memorial.
Grigory Yavlinsky believes that the murder of innocent people simply because of nationalist motives was a harbinger of everything that is happening in our country now. Unfortunately, very few people understand this. But the events in our country are developing in such a way that we will soon remember what happened then, Yavlinsky says.
“Bow to the memory of these people and say again: people, do not lose your humanity, give up revenge and anger. Otherwise, a big disaster awaits all of us,” that’s why Yabloko comes to Prechistenka to honour the memory of Markelov and Baburova every year, Grigory Yavlinsky believes.
Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov believes that the flowers laid at the site of the murder of Markelov and Baburova are not only a memory of young people killed by nationalists in the centre of Moscow, but this is also a warning how our country can develop further.
“Now we can clearly trace the path towards the rise of nationalism, hatred, and cruelty in our country. And the task of every person who understands this is to do everything possible to ensure that our country does not follow this path. Today, here, we once again would like to reiterate and warn the citizens of our country against such a future,” Nikolai Rybakov, Chairman of the Yabloko party, said to reporters.
It should be noted that Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova were shot dead by neo-Nazis from the Combat Organisation of Russian Nationalists on 19 January, 2009. In November of the same year, the killers of the lawyer and the journalist were arrested and brought to trial in 2011. Nikita Tikhonov was sentenced to life imprisonment, Yevgenia Khasis received 18 years in prison.
Posted: January 19th, 2023 under Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of Speech, Governance, History, Human Rights, Russia-Eu relations, Russia-Ukraine relations, Russia-US Relations, Yabloko's Regional Branches.