Stop the Untouchables. Justice for Sergei Magnitsky.

Europe must oppose humans rights abuses in Russia, says David Trimble

Belfast Newsletter

Europe must provide much stronger opposition to human rights abuses and corruption in Russia, the former first minister of Northern Ireland said tonight.

Lord Trimble said the Council of Europe must press for countries to impose visa bans and freeze the assets of Russian officials who had been implicated in corruption.

In the United States, the Obama administration had already passed a “Magnitsky law” which banned from America any Russian officials thought to be involved in the death of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who died in detention in Russia.

Speaking during a debate in the House of Lords, the peer said the Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights organisation of which Russia is a member, needs to increase pressure on president Vladimir Putin’s government.

Lord Trimble said: “I think what we should do is that we should have no illusions about the regime. Their legal system is an extension of the ruling party, and the party of the government as a whole are deep in corruption and will stop at nothing to preserve their power.

“I hope that the European Court of Human Rights will vindicate the fundamental rights and freedoms of the convention in the cases that come before it.