POLAND-NEMTSOVA/AWARD Zhanna Nemtsova, daughter of slain Boris Nemtsov, receives Polish solidarity prize

Record ID: 145125

  • Title: POLAND-NEMTSOVA/AWARD Zhanna Nemtsova, daughter of slain Boris Nemtsov, receives Polish solidarity prize
  • Date: 4th August 2015
  • Summary: PIANO CONCERT BY WLODEK PAWLIK IN PROGRESS NEMTSOVA IN AUDIENCE PIANO CONCERT
  • Embargoed: 19th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Poland
  • Country: Poland
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA7BWIJWTBV5KOM51HVT0OJ0992
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: AUDIO AS INCOMING
    Russian journalist Zhanna Nemstova, daughter of slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, on Tuesday (August 4) received the Polish Lech Walesa Solidarity Prize.
    The prize, for the "promotion and protection of democracy and civil liberties", was established in 2014.
    "The Lech Walesa Solidarity Prize is a unique distinction, awarded for the second time by the state, which shares experiences of democratic transformation. The purpose of the award, established by the Foreign Ministry and the Lech Walesa Institute, is to promote a culture of democracy and respect for human rights and freedom," Polish Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna said ahead of being joined on stage by President Bronislaw Komorowski to award it to Nemstova.
    As well a statuette, the winner is presented with a million euros.
    Nemtsova has said she will spend 700 thousand euros on charitable organisations in countries of the Eastern Partnership, especially in Ukraine. The rest she will provide for the Boris Nemtsov foundation, created after the shooting of her father on February 27.
    "I, like many Russians, Ukrainians and people across the world, who are concerned with the fate of my country and feel solidarity with my father, Boris Nemtsov, who tragically died on that January 27, we - me and many others - share his views, share his convictions. People say, that he never changed them and stuck to his principles. We share his democratic views and, above all, we also believe that Russia can be a free country," she said.
    "Today I want to express my gratitude to all those people in Moscow, in Nizhny Novgorod, in other Russian cities, in Kiev, who don't allow the Russian authorities forget about this awful page, the awful and shameful page in the history of modern Russia," she added.
    Nemstova, eldest daughter of Nemtsov, worked for Russian business news channel RBK before leaving the country on May 26 to stay in Europe for "safety reasons".
    Komorowski said that the prize was not just awarded to Nemtsova, but for "all those Russians who can see the greatness and future of their country not in dominance over others".
    Poland set up the annual award last year to mark the 25th anniversary of its first free elections.
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