Obama condemns killing of Russian opposition leader

President Barack Obama sharply condemned the “brutal murder” of slain Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov as he called for an investigation into his death.

Obama called “upon the Russian government to conduct a prompt, impartial, and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his murder and ensure that those responsible for this vicious killing are brought to justice,” in a statement issued Friday night.

Nemtsov, 55, was fatally shot in Moscow late Friday night. He had previously been deputy prime minister under former Russian President Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s. He helmed the opposition Republican Party of Russia-People’s Freedom Party at the time of his death, and was a pointed critic of Russia’s role in the Ukrainian conflict.

Obama said the slain opposition leader “was a tireless advocate for his country, seeking for his fellow Russian citizens the rights to which all people are entitled.”

Anadolu Agency