By Alex Marinidies
The alleged killer of Russian politician Boris Nemtsov says that he was forced to confess to Russian police.
Nemtsov, one of the leaders of Russian opposition to president Vladimir Putin and a former deputy prime minister under Boris Yeltsin, was shot and killed near the Kremlin on February 27th. The assassination quickly raised suspicions of government complicity, as it happened in one of the most heavily-policed areas in Russia. Within days, two men were arrested by Russian police and confessed to the crime. But now one of them, Zaur Dadayev, has stated that he made his confession under duress.
Russian human rights monitors stated that Dadayev had been shackled in a cell for two days, and that he confessed because he feared that if he did not, his life would be in danger. They also said that there were numerous injuries present on Dadayev and the others, and that there is “a sufficient basis to suspect” that the three suspects were tortured by their captors.
Russian authorities charged Dadayev and his cousin Anzor Gubashev with murder committed in a group and for commercial gain, which is an accusation usually applied to contract killings. Both men now deny that they are guilty.
Dadayev was formerly a senior official in a Chechen police unit. He claims that along with being shackled for two days, a bag was held over his head and he was not given any food. He also said that Russian authorities falsely promised him that in return for a confession, they would release one of his colleagues who had been detained in connection with the killing.
The killing has sparked protests and fears of Putin’s government, which has long been accused of authoritarianism and is now thought by many to be behind the killing of Nemtsov.
