Russian investigators say Nemtsov not killed over religion

(Interfax – July 13, 2017)

The Russian Investigations Committee has ruled out the theory that opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was murdered on religious, rather than financial grounds, its spokeswoman has said.

“During the investigation there was an analysis of the testimonies of suspects Zaur Dadayev and Anzor Gubashev on how they committed the murder of Boris Nemtsov on grounds of religious hatred, due to the victim having supported caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad published by the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, in January 2015,” Investigations Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko was quoted as saying by privately-owned news agency Interfax on 13 July.

However, she added, “the evidence that was gathered shows that those who participated in the organised group had begun to prepare for Nemtsov’s murder as far back as September 2014, for a promised payment of at least R15m [250,000 dollars]”.

According to her, investigators continue to gather evidence on the supposed organisers of the murder.

“The investigation continues to gather evidence in relation to the organisers of the Nemtsov murder,” Petrenko said.