Key facts
- A Moscow court ordered the arrest in absentia of Zhanna Nemtsova, daughter of slain opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.
- Nemtsova is accused of involvement with an "undesirable organisation."
- The Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom, which Nemtsova co-founded, was declared an "undesirable organisation" by Russia in 2024.
- Nemtsova, who resides in Germany, dismissed the ruling.
- Boris Nemtsov was assassinated in 2015 near the Kremlin.
A court in Moscow has ordered the arrest in absentia of Zhanna Nemtsova, the daughter of murdered Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov. The charges stem from her involvement with the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom, which Russia designated an "undesirable organisation" in 2024, effectively banning its activities within the country.
Nemtsova, who relocated to Germany in 2015 following her father's assassination, dismissed the court's ruling via a Facebook post, stating, "I’m famous now." She highlighted that the foundation, established in Bonn, is registered in Germany.
Russia frequently labels organizations it deems a threat to its constitutional order or national security as "undesirable." Individuals involved in such organizations can face significant prison sentences, with penalties of up to five years for funding and up to six years for organizing activities.
Boris Nemtsov, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, was shot dead in February 2015 near the Kremlin. He was reportedly working on a report detailing the Russian military's involvement in the Ukraine crisis at the time of his death. His murder sent a wave of fear through Russia's opposition circles.
In 2017, a Russian court convicted five Chechen men for carrying out the assassination for financial gain. However, Nemtsov's allies at the time asserted that those who orchestrated and ordered the killing had not been brought to justice.