Hoyer Statement on the Renaming of Boris Nemtsov Plaza
Press Types
Press Release
For Immediate Release:
February 28, 2018
Contact Info:
Mariel Saez 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement after the plaza opposite the Russian Embassy was officially renamed Boris Nemtsov Plaza yesterday:
“With the renaming of Boris Nemtsov Plaza, officials from Vladimir Putin’s Russia will be reminded of the movement for democracy in their country every time they enter or exit their embassy here in Washington. Boris Nemtsov died a martyr for the cause of freedom, democracy, and human rights, and it is fitting that the plaza opposite the Embassy of the Russian Federation should be dedicated in his memory. Mr. Nemtsov’s assassination made clear the iron grip under which President Putin now holds the Russian people, unable to reach for the opportunities that only democracy makes possible.
“As a former Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I witnessed the popular uprisings that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and a new birth of freedom for the Russian people. That President Putin and his cronies managed to snuff out that freedom in its infancy remains one of the great tragedies of our age. I hope this tribute to Mr. Nemtsov will be a constant reminder that freedom in Russia is still possible and that when the people of a nation demand freedom and self-government, their leaders cannot ignore them.”
“With the renaming of Boris Nemtsov Plaza, officials from Vladimir Putin’s Russia will be reminded of the movement for democracy in their country every time they enter or exit their embassy here in Washington. Boris Nemtsov died a martyr for the cause of freedom, democracy, and human rights, and it is fitting that the plaza opposite the Embassy of the Russian Federation should be dedicated in his memory. Mr. Nemtsov’s assassination made clear the iron grip under which President Putin now holds the Russian people, unable to reach for the opportunities that only democracy makes possible.
“As a former Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I witnessed the popular uprisings that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and a new birth of freedom for the Russian people. That President Putin and his cronies managed to snuff out that freedom in its infancy remains one of the great tragedies of our age. I hope this tribute to Mr. Nemtsov will be a constant reminder that freedom in Russia is still possible and that when the people of a nation demand freedom and self-government, their leaders cannot ignore them.”