Posts Tagged ‘ap’
Judge sets trial date in case against Russian whistleblower who died in prison
The trial of whistleblowing Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky is to begin next month, even though he died in prison three years ago.
A Russian court on Monday ruled the trial is to begin March 4. Prosecutors accuse Magnitsky and his former client, investor William Browder, of evading $16.8 million in taxes.
The trial will be held under procedures allowing posthumous trials to clear the deceased. Magnitsky’s relatives are boycotting proceedings.
Magnitsky was jailed in 2008 by officials he claimed colluded with organized crime to claim a $230 million tax rebate through illegally obtained subsidiaries of Browder’s company. He died in 2009 after being repeatedly beaten and denied medical treatment.
Congress passed a law sanctioning officials Browder accuses of involvement in the fraud. Russia in response banned adoptions by Americans.
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Dead? No excuse for Russian man Sergei Magnitsky to miss trial
SERGEI Magnitsky died more than three years ago in a Russian jail but authorities are moving to put him on trial in a Russian court.
The whistle-blowing lawyer died in 2009 after being arrested on charges of tax fraud – the same fraud in which he alleged that Interior Ministry officials had a hand.
The Russian government has faced harsh international criticism over its treatment of Magnitsky, and its plan to bring a dead man to trial beginning February 18 can only increase that chorus.
Here’s a look at some other posthumous trials and actions.
POPE FORMOSUS
This was a grisly case in which the accused pope’s corpse was put on the stand in the so-called Cadaver Synod of 897.
The Catholic cleric had long been involved in internecine church disputes and jockeying for power. One of his predecessors, John VII, accused him of conspiring with others to take the papacy and of trying to become bishop of Bulgaria even though he already held another bishopric. Formosus eventually was elected pope in 891 and served until his death in 896, but the previous quarrels had festered. His successor revived the charges and ordered that Formosus’ corpse be exhumed and brought to the papal court for judgment.
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Senate to vote on Russia Trade and Rights Bill
The Senate is set to endorse legislation that both normalizes trade with Russia and highlights the discord between the two countries over human rights issues.
The vote Thursday to establish permanent normal trade relations with Russia will bring considerable relief to U.S. exporters and investors anxious about losing shares of Russia’s growing market to European and Chinese competitors. It also could bring retaliation from Moscow over a provision that sanctions Russian officials who allegedly commit human rights violations.
The House passed the legislation last month on a 365-43 vote, and President Barack Obama’s administration has urged Congress to move quickly to get it to the president’s desk.
There’s a sense of urgency because Russia in August became the last major economic power to enter the World Trade Organization, committing it to lowering tariffs, removing other trade barriers, protecting intellectual property, opening up its service industries and submitting to the WTO’s dispute resolution process.
But unless Congress formally normalizes trade relations, U.S. exporters will be alone among the members of the 157-nation WTO unable to enjoy the increased market access. That puts them at a serious disadvantage in competing for sales in the world’s ninth-largest economy, with an estimated 140 million consumers.
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Russian prison doctor pleads not guilty on negligence charges in lawyer Magnitsky’s death
A prison doctor charged with negligence in the death of a lawyer who reported a multi-million tax fraud by Russian officials has pleaded not guilty.
Dmitry Kratov, formerly a doctor in Moscow’s Butyrka prison, is the first official charged in the death of Sergey Magnitsky. The trial started at Moscow’s Tverskoy court Thursday.
Kratov’s attorney Roman Kuchin said that his client denied the charges against him because he could not ensure medical care for Magnitsky due to a shortage of staff.
Magnitsky, who had accused Interior Ministry officials of using false tax documents to steal $230 million from the state, died in custody from untreated pancreatitis. A private investigation concluded Magnitsky was severely beaten and denied medical treatment, and it accused the government of failing to prosecute those responsible.
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Bill for normal trade with Russia meets opposition
A Senate plan to lift Cold War restrictions on trade with Russia drew immediate resistance from Senate Republicans who said Congress must first address Russia’s poor human rights record and existing economic and political policies.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., on Tuesday introduced bipartisan legislation to normalize trade relations with Russia by repealing the 1974 Jackson-Vanik act that tied trade with the then-Soviet Union to Moscow’s allowing Jews and other minorities to leave the country.
The repeal of Jackson-Vanik is necessary if U.S. businesses are to enjoy the lower tariffs and increased access to Russian markets that will become available when Russia joins the World Trade Organization this summer. Supporters of normalized trade said it could lead to a doubling of U.S. exports to Russia.
“Jackson-Vanik served its purpose during the Cold War, but it’s a relic of another era that now stands in the way of our farmers, ranchers and businesses pursuing opportunities to grow and create jobs,” Baucus said in a statement.
Baucus was joined in sponsoring the bill by Senate Foriegn Relations Committee chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., and Republicans John McCain of Arizona and John Thune of South Dakota.
But eight Finance Committee Republicans, led by ranking Republican Orrin Hatch of Utah, wrote a letter to Baucus saying that Congress cannot ignore ongoing issues with Russia in moving to normalize trade relations.
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US official urges repeal of Russia trade law
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk says a top priority for his office this year is repeal of the Jackson-Vanik amendment that can be used to put trade restrictions on Russia.
The Cold War-era amendment allows denial of most-favored-nation status to non-market countries that restrict emigration. Although the United States has granted Russia annual waivers since 1994, the law remains an irritant to investors and Russian politicians.
Some U.S. lawmakers have indicated they would support repeal of Jackson-Vanik in exchange for passage of the so-called Magnitsky bill that would bar Russian officials accused of human rights abuses from the United States.
Kirk said the two measures should not be linked. срочный займ на карту онлайн hairy girl https://zp-pdl.com/online-payday-loans-in-america.php https://zp-pdl.com займы на карту срочно
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Russia’s Medvedev vows to continue modernization
My Earth Link From Associated Press
International News VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
April 24, 2012 7:55 AM EDT
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev vowed Tuesday to pursue his modernization agenda and implement political reforms enacted after massive street protests, after he shifts into the prime minister’s job.
Medvedev had agreed to step down after one term to allow his longtime mentor Vladimir Putin to reclaim the presidency in March’s election. The swap was widely seen as a cynical maneuvering and a show of contempt for democracy, fueling a wave of unprecedented rallies in the run-up to the vote.
Medvedev raised hopes for liberal reforms after winning the presidency in 2008, but achieved little, largely staying in Putin’s shadow, who continued calling the shots as prime minister.
In Tuesday’s speech before the State Council, Medvedev repeated pledges to combat corruption, pursue political reforms and modernize economy.
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Report claims coverup in Russian lawyer’s death
A government probe into the death in prison of a Russian lawyer who exposed official corruption covered up a brutal beating he received in prison and the deliberate denial of medical treatment, a new report claimed Monday.
Sergei Magnitsky, who was arrested after accusing officials of corruption, died in November 2009 after the pancreatitis he developed in prison went untreated. Two prison doctors have been charged with negligence.
The 37-year-old had been arrested by the same Interior Ministry officials whom he had accused of using false tax papers to steal $230 million from the state.
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Investigation against Russian lawyer who died in jail extended despite his family’s pleas
Russian investigators on Thursday declined to close a probe against a Russian lawyer who died in jail of an untreated illness, extending the investigation by another two months despite his family’s pleas to end it.
Sergei Magnitsky died of an untreated pancreatitis in November 2009 after spending almost a year in a Moscow jail on tax evasion charges. Investors working in Russia have said the lawyer’s death and allegations of torture highlight corruption in the judicial system and presents a litmus test for President Dmitry Medvedev’s pledge to cement the rule of law in the country.
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