Protests in Toronto, worldwide for slain Putin critic Nemtsov

A march took place in Toronto on Sunday in solidarity with similar protests in Moscow and around the world in memory of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, whose murder has increased concern about Russia’s future among opponents of President Vladimir Putin.

The event started at city hall and demonstrators marched along University Avenue to the Russian consulate at 175 Bloor St. E.

On Saturday, thousands of people laid flowers and lit candles on a bridge near the Kremlin where the opposition politician and former deputy prime minister was shot dead late on Friday.

Nemtsov, who was 55, was one of the leading lights of an opposition struggling to revive its fortunes, three years after mass rallies against Putin that failed to prevent him returning to the presidency after four years as prime minister.

The opposition has little support outside big cities and Putin has now been Russia’s dominant leader since 2000, when ailing President Boris Yeltsin chose the former KGB spy as his successor, a role Nemtsov had once been destined to play.

Nemtsov, a fighter against corruption, had hoped to start the opposition’s revival with a march in Marino on the outskirts of Moscow on Sunday to protest against Putin’s economic policies and what they see as Russia’s involvement in the separatist war in east Ukraine. The Kremlin denies any role in the fighting.

Organizers announced a new plan after Nemtsov’s death.

The opposition said Moscow city authorities had approved the march, at 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. EST), allowing for as many as 50,000 people, though the organizers say more could show up to march alongside the River Moskva.

Western leaders are condemning Nemtsov’s assassination and pressing the Kremlin to ensure the killing is thoroughly investigated.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement Friday night that he was “shocked and saddened” to learn Nemtsov had been gunned down by assailants who opened fire from a vehicle.

“Mr. Nemtsov will be remembered as a fearless advocate of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Russia,” the statement said.

Harper added that as a prominent opponent of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine Nemtsov had been “unafraid to voice essential truths, even in the face of violent intimidation.” The statement said those responsible for “this shameful act of violence” must be held to account in “a swift, transparent and independent investigation.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Saturday that Merkel was “dismayed” by Nemtsov’s killing and is urging Putin to ensure that the assassination is cleared up and the perpetrators brought to justice. She praised Nemtsov’s courage in criticizing government policies.

President Francois Hollande’s office said the French leader “denounces the odious assassination” of Nemtsov, whom it described as “a courageous and tireless defender of democracy and a dogged fighter against corruption.”

Finland’s prime minister, Alexander Stubb, said he hoped “the political leadership and the judicial system in Russia will do their utmost to investigate the murder promptly and transparently.”

With files from The Associated Press, The Canadian Press and Toronto staff

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