Human rights before Russian business
The Times
There are sound reasons for wanting to rebuild a working political relationship with Russia and most have to do with business. The country is on the cusp of major modernisation. It is a pivotal force in the European energy market. Anglo-Russian trade is up fifty per cent in the first six months of this year and if only the British played ball, sigh Russian officials, it could be so much more.
But this is not the time to surrender principled policies on human rights and the rule of law in return for commercial advantage. Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, has told Britain to throw overboard its “ideological obsessions”, its Cold War hang-ups — by which he means dropping calls for the extradition of Andrei Lugovoi, wanted in Britain on suspicion of helping to kill Alexander Litvinenko in a spectacularly macabre London poisoning. Well, Mr Lavrov may regard this as ideological claptrap, but the British are right to treat it as a question of legal process. It is time that the Kremlin understood the difference.
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Lackluster Yaroslavl Speech May Serve as Omen
The Moscow Times
Based on Dmitry Medvedev’s previous speeches, few people expected any cogent policy statements from the president during his address on Thursday to the third annual Global Policy Forum in Yaroslavl. Medvedev did not disappoint these expectations — or rather, the lack of them. His speech, like his previous ones, largely consisted of generalities.
As a commentator for the Rosbalt news agency noted: “The inarticulate and vague speech the president gave is practically becoming his personal trademark.”
Political analyst Lilia Shevtsova wrote on her blog: “Every time Medvedev speaks in public, he only reinforces the impression of inadequacy. How many times can you say the same thing over and over again?”
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Don’t Count On The Russian Justice System – OpEd
An Appeal to the International Community
Within Russian law enforcement agencies corruption is rife, its members are highly sensitive to suggestion from political powers, and they are all too often noted for looking after their own business interests. All this couldn’t but undermine extradition requests from the Procurator General of the Russian Federation. Nonetheless, extradition is an important institution of multilateral cooperation in the legal sphere. In Russia,however, this measure is often used as an instrument of unlawful reprisal against people.
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PM Pursues Litvinenko Murder on Moscow Visit
David Cameron has insisted that Britain will not give up on bringing the killer of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko to justice, as he kicked off his visit to Russia.
But the Prime Minister said the two governments had to end the “tit-for-tat culture” and work together despite festering tensions over the dissident’s murder.
It is the first visit by a British leader since the murder of Mr Litvinenko in London in 2006.
The poisoning of the Kremlin critic caused relations between the two countries to hit a post-Cold War low.
The wider aim of David Cameron’s visit is to increase trade and improve his relationship with the country’s president, Dmitry Medvedev, and Prime Minister Putin.
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Kremlin Sees No Reset in Historic Cameron Visit
A top Kremlin aide cautioned on Sunday that no “reset” looms in long-troubled relations with Britain, hours before Prime Minister David Cameron was to arrive in Moscow for the first visit by a British leader in six years.
Cameron is leading a delegation including Foreign Secretary William Hague and BP chief executive Bob Dudley to talks with President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that he hopes will boost economic ties and perhaps mend some fences.
Relations have been strained since the polonium poisoning death of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko in London in November 2006 and the Russian government refused to extradite Britain’s prime suspect, State Duma Deputy Andrei Lugovoi.
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Russia warns Cameron to ‘get over’ the Litvinenko poisoning
The Kremlin has told David Cameron to abandon Britain’s “ideological obsessions” over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, the dissident spy, if he wants relations with Russia to improve.
Sergei Lavrov, the Foreign Minister, issued the thinly veiled warning as Mr Cameron prepared to fly to Moscow today for the first visit by a British Prime Minister since Mr Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 in London almost five years ago.
Mr Lavrov made clear that the Kremlin expected him to abandon the stance of the previous Labour Government, which imposed sanctions after Russia refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoy, the former KGB officer accused of killing Mr Litvinenko in November 2006. Mr Lugovoy, now a member of Russia’s parliament, has denied any involvement in the crime.
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David Cameron urged to challenge Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev
David Cameron has been urged by four former foreign secretaries to challenge the Russian government on a number of issues during his visit to Moscow.
They want President Dmitry Medvedev to be confronted over a perceived failure to protect business against corruption.
In a Sunday Times letter, they also call for the PM to raise the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006. The call is from Labour’s Margaret Beckett, David Miliband, Jack Straw and Conservative Sir Malcolm Rifkind.
The letter says hundreds of thousands of Russian businessmen are detained in jails after falling victim to corruption sanctioned by the authorities. They refer to these people as “victims of an increasingly potent mix of corruption and lawlessness”.
In their letter, the former foreign secretaries state: “The dangers of this corruption do not stop at Russia’s borders and Alexander Litvinenko’s murder shows the consequences of such lawlessness hitting British shores.
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David Cameron urged to challenge Russia on human rights
David Cameron has been encouraged to challenge Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin about Russia’s human rights record during his trip to Moscow this week.
The prime minister will fly to Moscow today for talks, as the UK and Russian governments attempt to repair the damage to their relationship caused by the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006.
It is hoped the meetings will lead to improved trade links with Russia, but four former foreign secretaries have called on Mr Cameron not to turn a blind eye to corruption and human rights abuses.
Labour’s David Miliband, Jack Straw and Margaret Beckett, and Conservative Sir Malcolm Rifkind have written to the Sunday Times to raise the issue of the thousands of businessmen detained in Russian prisons.
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David Cameron’s trip to the Kremlin must address the Sergei Magnitsky case
The Russian lawyer, employed by a British citizen, died in jail. The prime minister must join Washington in annnouncing a travel ban on those involved.
In diplomacy there is an unofficial statute of limitations on rows that poison state-to-state relations. November will see the fifth anniversary of the murder of Alexander Litvinenko by Russian agents in London. David Cameron will certainly raise the case when he goes to Moscow for his first trip to the Kremlin but equally certainly will have to swallow the Russian dismissal of the crime. But he will find it less easy to swerve around the case of Sergei Magnitsky, the lawyer employed by a British citizen and his London-based investment company. Magnitsky exposed the biggest tax swindle in Russian history, and was put to death by Russian officials for his pains.
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To learn more about what happened to Sergei Magnitsky please read below
- Sergei Magnitsky
- Why was Sergei Magnitsky arrested?
- Sergei Magnitsky’s torture and death in prison
- President’s investigation sabotaged and going nowhere
- The corrupt officers attempt to arrest 8 lawyers
- Past crimes committed by the same corrupt officers
- Petitions requesting a real investigation into Magnitsky's death
- Worldwide reaction, calls to punish those responsible for corruption and murder
- Complaints against Lt.Col. Kuznetsov
- Complaints against Major Karpov
- Cover up
- Press about Magnitsky
- Bloggers about Magnitsky
- Corrupt officers:
- Sign petition
- Citizen investigator
- Join Justice for Magnitsky group on Facebook
- Contact us
- Sergei Magnitsky
