Go On Fighting

Everyone wants to be free today – Belarusians, Ukrainians and Russians alike.

It was a year ago, to the very day, on February 27, when the leader of Russian opposition Boris Nemtsov was meanly shot in the back the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge.

Recently I have read the words of MPs of the Lithuanian parliament, who on the death day of Nemtsov put forward an initiative to name one of the streets in central Vilnius after the hero. They wrote: “Boris was inspiring faith that Russia could choose the path of democracy.”

I would say that Boris Nemtsov was instilling faith in all of us – dwellers of the former, though not completely disintegrated, “evil empire”, that eventually we are going to live happily in our independent, free, democratic and prosperous states. He was not just a Russian leader, he was a Belarusian and Ukrainian one, simply because he wished freedom to all our nations.

When Boris was murdered, it seemed to be that my hope for a necessarily happy ending in this struggle. Nemtsov was a friend for me. We were discussing a lot what was happening in Belarus and Russia, shared our prison experience, discussed joint projects and plans for the future.

But the main thing that united us, despite disparity in years and experience, as Boris had a huge experience – was the belief that everything will turn out all right. He believed in a simple truth that the good is sure to triumph over the evil, and aspirations for freedom can destroy any dictatorship. He was called “a big kid” sometimes because of that, but that was exactly what attracted in him and made admire him.

After the death of Boris it seemed that by liquidating him, such a courageous, strong, intelligent, and handsome man – everyone and everything would be crushed. But in the face of anguish and fear, people continued to do something – to gather for marches, stage protest rallies, carry out revelatory journalistic investigations.

It turned out that Boris was not the only one. It turned out, we are many.

My hearts will be bleeding for Boris always. But I think all the time that he would be awfully displeased if I gave up.

When so many people want to be free, we are sure to win.

Natallia Radzina, editor-in-chief of charter97.org