Magnitsky’s Mother Says Her Son Was Tortured To Death
Radio Free Europe Documents and Publications
October 02, 2012
The mother of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky says the administration of a Moscow detention center created “torture conditions” that killed her son while he was in custody.
Natalia Magnitskaya testified on October 2 at the trial of the sole defendant in the case — Dmitry Kratov, former deputy warden at Moscow’s Butyrka detention center.
Kratov is charged with negligence leading to Magnitsky’s death in November 2009.
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US at OSCE statement by Ambassador Avis Bohlen
As prepared for delivery by Ambassador Avis Bohlen
OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting
Warsaw, September 26, 2012
While I hesitate to rank the session topics in any order of importance, it’s hard to overstate how critical the rule of law is to ensuring the effective implementation of other OSCE commitments and to providing redress when necessary. Indeed, how we speak about and understand the state of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the world can never be far removed from the concept and — we hope — the reality of an independent and fair judiciary interpreting and enforcing the laws of a genuinely representative legislature. Sadly, such democratic essentials are still lacking in too many of the participating States, and frequently the courts become tools of government persecution. To be sure, there have been improvements over the past year in some OSCE states, and while we also understand that no state’s judicial system is perfect, in too many cases the chasm between the commitments on paper and the reality on the ground is troubling.
Moderator, in Russia, the posthumous prosecution of Sergei Magnitsky is one of the most visible examples of what former President Dmitry Medvedev decried as “legal nihilism.” We are also concerned by the problematic trials and disproportionate sentences against the female punk group Pussy Riot and the jailing of Taisiya Osipova on questionable drug charges, as well as the legal harassment visited on many of those who have sought to express publicly their disapproval of the government, including Garry Kasparov, Alexey Navalny, and Boris Nemtsov. We reiterate our concerns regarding the second trial, verdict, and sentence of former Yukos executives Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, as well as that of Alexey Kurtsyn.
In Kazakhstan, we are concerned about the fairness of the justice system, where arrests appear to have targeted opposition activists. For example, in the case against Vladimir Kozlov, the prosecution has relied on professed “expert witnesses” who attacked Mr. Kozlov’s character, but failed to produce concrete evidentiary links between Mr. Kozlov’s support for striking oil workers and the violence that occurred in Zhanaozen last December. In the aftermath of violence in Zhanaozen, trials have has been further marred by credible allegations of torture in detention and forced confessions resulting from beatings by prison officials and threats to defendants’ families. These allegations are consistent with and reports of widespread police abuse during the crackdown following the December 16 events.
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Bill Browder speaks in Finnish Parliament
On Wednesday 26th September, Bill Browder was interviewed by Finnish news programme YLE about his trip to Helsinki, his meetings with MPs and the justice campaign he is leading arouind the world for his murdered lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky.
http://areena.yle.fi/tv/1643544
He was hosted in the Finnish Parliament by Pia Kauma MP. срочный займ на карту срочный займ на карту https://zp-pdl.com/apply-for-payday-loan-online.php https://zp-pdl.com/fast-and-easy-payday-loans-online.php buy viagra online
Lavrov Offers New Warning to U.S. Over Magnitsky Bill
cUsing some of his harshest language yet, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the adoption of the Magnitsky bill by the U.S. Congress would have disastrous consequences for U.S.-Russian relations.
Lavrov, speaking during an interview with U.S. television talk-show host Charlie Rose, said Moscow supported a dialogue on human rights with Washington but did not want to be “lectured” or “judged” through efforts like the Magnitsky bill.
“This would be certainly something which will be detrimental to our relationship,” he said, speaking in English. “Attempts to interfere in the legal procedures of other countries are not really welcome by normal states, normal governments, and this is absolutely the case between Russia and the United States.”
Returning to a well-trodden Kremlin line, Lavrov insisted that Russia was interested in discussing human rights, particularly cases involving the abuse and sometimes death of adopted Russian children at the hands of their U.S. parents and the imprisonment of convicted arms trader Viktor Bout.
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Sergey Lavrov discusses Magnitsky on Charlie Rose show
Lavrov, speaking during an interview with U.S. television talk-show host Charlie Rose, said Moscow supported a dialogue on human rights with Washington but did not want to be “lectured” or “judged” through efforts like the Magnitsky bill.
Lavrov spoke to Rose during a visit to New York for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly this week.
“This would be certainly something which will be detrimental to our relationship,” he said, speaking in English. “Attempts to interfere in the legal procedures of other countries are not really welcome by normal states, normal governments, and this is absolutely the case between Russia and the United States.” hairy women hairy women https://zp-pdl.com https://zp-pdl.com/best-payday-loans.php займ на карту срочно без отказа
USAID Expulsion Means the End of “Reset”
On September 18 the U.S. announced that they are shutting down USAID activities in Russia at a request of the Russian government. All operations will have to stop by October 1. In a short statement, the Department of State celebrated accomplishments of AID’s work in the country over the last 20 years and promised to continue cooperation with Russian NGOs.
The reason for Kremlin’s actions are clear. As domestic unrest continues in Russia, the regime is looking for ways to silence the increasingly vocal civil society. Organizations that USAID has been supporting observe elections, investigate corruption and human rights abuses, and expose many other problems that have driven tens of thousands to protest during the last year.
Unsurprisingly, Vladimir Putin’s regime is determined to cut sources of funding for these NGOs. The business community is afraid to be involved in “politics” (however broad the definition of it may be), fearing to share the fate of oil-tycoon-turned-philanthropist-turned-political-prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and government grants are not an option. So there isn’t much choice for civil society organizations other than to raise funds from foreign donors. There is also a growing trend to attract small donations via the Internet (a.k.a. crowdfunding), but not every initiative can be sustained that way.
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MEPs demand EU sanctions over Magnitsky murder, again
MEPs on the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee have piled fresh political pressure on their governments to impose sanctions on Russian officials linked to the murder of whistleblower accountant Sergei Magnitsky.
In a resolution drafted by Estonian liberal MEP Kristiina Ojuland, MEPs on Thursday (20 September) by 62 votes against two called on EU governments to make a list of over 60 suspected officials and to impose an EU-wide visa ban and asset-freeze on the lot.
The asset freeze is to extend to the alleged culprits’ families.
The move would see the EU “take a coherent and pro-active stance on … serious human rights violations in Russia,” the resolution said.
Speaking after the vote, Ojuland said that imposing the sanctions would “put real pressure on Russian authorities to start taking criticism on human rights seriously” and that the measures would be “a necessary step against corruption and human rights violators.”
Magnitksy was allegedly tortured and beaten to death in Moscow’s Butryka jail in 2009.
He had been arrested 11 months earlier after exposing a multi-million-dollar tax fraud by high-level Kremlin officials and FSB intelligence officers.
The resolution is the third time the EU parliament has called for action in the case.
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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TAKES A STANCE AGAINST ABUSE OF POWER IN RUSSIA
The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee today threw its weight behind the campaign to bring those to account who are responsible for the death of anti-corruption hero Sergei Magnitsky.
The Committee has proposed an EU-wide visa ban and assets freeze for Russian officials involved in Magnitsky’s death, and in its cover-up. The Members of the European Parliament added a call to Russia to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into this case. The Committee expects the Council to take on a more coeherent human rights policy.
In November 2009, Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in prison. He had been held in detention for almost a year, after alleging wide-spread and systematic corruption and theft by government officials. The ensuing outrage at the brutality and injustice of his treatment led to an international campaign to bring those responsible to account.
In 2011 Magnitsky’s mother collected Transparency International’s Integrity Award on his behalf during the 14th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC). For more details on the case listen to this podcast with Elena Panfilova, Board Member of Transparency International and Director of our Russian Chapter. займ на карту займ на карту https://zp-pdl.com/emergency-payday-loans.php https://zp-pdl.com/emergency-payday-loans.php hairy woman
Commitment of Russian authorities to basic values remains the main prerequisite of EU-Russia relations: Jacek Protasiewicz MEP
“The commitment of Russian authorities to basic values such as the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms remains the main prerequisite of EU-Russia relations and for the development of a stable and reliable partnership”, said Jacek Protasiewicz MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament, commenting on today’s vote of the Foreign Affairs Committee on the Recommendation to the Council on establishing common visa restrictions for Russian officials involved in the Sergei Magnitsky case.
The main aim of this Report is to recommend to the EU Council the introduction of a visa ban and a policy of freezing assets against those responsible for prosecution and murder of Sergei Magnitsky. The Recommendation follows the adoption of the Sergei Magnitsky Law by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US Senate as well as the adoption of numerous resolutions by several other European countries and international organisations. It has also gathered large support in the Parliament’s Committee.
“The Magnitsky case is one the most obvious and well documented cases of abuse of power and misuse of the judicial system by the Russian law enforcement authorities”, said Jacek Protasiewicz MEP, EPP Group Shadow Rapporteur.
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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