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| Boris Nemtsov murder trial begins at Moscow military court | Boris Nemtsov murder trial begins at Moscow military court |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Five men accused of involvement in the killing of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov have gone on trial at a military court in Moscow. | Five men accused of involvement in the killing of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov have gone on trial at a military court in Moscow. |
| A former deputy prime minister who became a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin, Nemtsov was shot dead last year near the Kremlin. | A former deputy prime minister who became a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin, Nemtsov was shot dead last year near the Kremlin. |
| The defendants - all Chechens - were allegedly promised cash to kill him. All deny the charges. | The defendants - all Chechens - were allegedly promised cash to kill him. All deny the charges. |
| His relatives fear whoever ordered the killing will never be found. | His relatives fear whoever ordered the killing will never be found. |
| A Nemtsov family lawyer told the court the investigation was neither objective nor complete, pointing to a lack of video evidence despite the crime happening close to one of the most famous landmarks in Russia. | |
| Tight security was in place as the trial began, with the suspects led into court by armed police wearing balaclavas. | |
| Nemtsov, who was 55, served as first deputy prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s. | Nemtsov, who was 55, served as first deputy prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s. |
| Nemtsov murder: The suspects | Nemtsov murder: The suspects |
| Why I loved Nemtsov | Why I loved Nemtsov |
| Profile of a fierce Putin critic | Profile of a fierce Putin critic |
| But after falling out of favour with Yeltsin's successor, Mr Putin, he became an outspoken opposition politician, attacking the government over the economy, corruption and its involvement in Ukraine's war. | But after falling out of favour with Yeltsin's successor, Mr Putin, he became an outspoken opposition politician, attacking the government over the economy, corruption and its involvement in Ukraine's war. |
| On what was to be his last night alive he had been on a liberal radio station, calling on listeners to join a protest rally at the weekend. | On what was to be his last night alive he had been on a liberal radio station, calling on listeners to join a protest rally at the weekend. |
| He was shot in the back late at night crossing a bridge a few hundreds meters from to the Kremlin, Russia's parliament building, dying on the spot. | He was shot in the back late at night crossing a bridge a few hundreds meters from to the Kremlin, Russia's parliament building, dying on the spot. |
| The site is still marked with flowers in his memory. | The site is still marked with flowers in his memory. |
| President Putin called the murder "vile and cynical" and vowed that those responsible would be held to account. | President Putin called the murder "vile and cynical" and vowed that those responsible would be held to account. |
| The accused are said to have had Nemtsov under surveillance for months. The suspect that investigators say carried out the killing was an officer under the command of pro-Moscow Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. | The accused are said to have had Nemtsov under surveillance for months. The suspect that investigators say carried out the killing was an officer under the command of pro-Moscow Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. |
| Russia has seen several killings of high-profile politicians and journalists. | Russia has seen several killings of high-profile politicians and journalists. |
| But the country has a long history of prosecuting alleged hit-men and then failing to follow the chain of command upwards to discover who ordered the murder or why, our Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford says. | But the country has a long history of prosecuting alleged hit-men and then failing to follow the chain of command upwards to discover who ordered the murder or why, our Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford says. |