Stop the Untouchables. Justice for Sergei Magnitsky.

Get tough with Russia

Boston Herald

The Senate and House next month are expected to approve legislation aimed at punishing people involved in the beating death of a lawyer in a Russian jail cell. Passage will show Russia that, whatever the warm feelings toward Russia of the White House and the State Department, Americans are fed up with growing lawlessness in that country.

The Russians have threatened grave though unspecified retaliation if the provisions, likely to be part of a bill granting Russia the status of “Normal Trading Relations,” pass. Such a designation is needed to trade with Russia now that it has joined the World Trade Organization.

The provisions would deny visas to and freeze U.S. assets (if any) of 60 individuals who had a hand in the death of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who had represented a mutual fund investing in Russian companies. Magnitsky had exposed a ring that stole $230 million in Russian government funds, using documents of the mutual fund, for a criminal gang. His death in 2009 was never investigated as a murder, even though a local police officer wanted to and then-president Dimitri Medvedev called for a “thorough” investigation. Prosecutors said they found no wrongdoing and claimed that Magnitsky died of heart failure.