Posts Tagged ‘JBANC’
On April 19–20, the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC) held its 10th annual conference in Washington DC. The key topics of discussion included the deteriorating political and human rights situation in Russia, and the prospects for EU visa sanctions against Russian human rights abusers modeled on the US Magnitsky Act.
JBANC’s 10th annual conference brought together diplomats; government officials; political, business, and NGO leaders; journalists; and policy analysts from the European Union, the United States, Canada, Russia, and other countries. This year’s keynote speaker was William Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital Management and former employer of Sergei Magnitsky, the Moscow attorney who was arrested, denied medical care, and died in prison after uncovering a $230 million tax fraud scheme involving Russian officials. Not one of the officials linked to the theft—or to Magnitsky’s unlawful prosecution and death—has been punished; indeed, some have received awards and promotions.
“I realized that it is impossible to achieve justice for Sergei inside of Russia,” Browder said in his remarks to an audience that included Magnitsky’s mother, widow, and youngest son. “So I decided to seek justice outside of Russia.” Over the past three years, the Hermitage CEO has been leading international efforts to get those implicated in the Magnitsky case—as well as other Russian human rights abusers—blacklisted from Western countries. In the United States, the visa ban and asset freeze were effected by the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, a measure passed and signed into law last year. On April 12, the US government published its first public blacklist under the Magnitsky Act. Browder vowed to continue his efforts to achieve similar sanctions in the European Union, despite persistent threats to his own life and an Interpol arrest warrant issued by the Russian government.
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JBANC Applauds Passage of Magnitsky Human Rights Legislation; President Obama signs Act into Law
The Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC), representing the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian communities in the United States, enthusiastically applauds the passage of the Magnitsky Act in the U.S. Congress, and the signing of the Act into law by President Barack Obama on Dec. 14.
The human rights component of the law, which targets human rights offenders in Russia in the death of attorney and whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, was attached to the Act which grants Permanent Normal Trade Relations with the Russian Federation and similarly abolishes the popularly-called Jackson-Vanik amendment – on the books since 1974 – which both aided the emigration of Soviet Jews and held the USSR accountable on human rights issues. Since the Jackson-Vanik component has become anachronistic, the Magnitsky law takes its place as a marker in U.S. concerns over ongoing human rights abuses and corruption in the Russian Federation.
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JBANC letter to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Members and Chairman John Kerry regarding the Magnitsky Act
Jun 19, 2012
The Honorable John Kerry
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Mr. Chairman:
The Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC), representing one million persons of Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian heritage in the United States, looks forward to the passage of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2011 (S. 1039/H.R. 4405) in your Committee meeting today. We appreciate your concern in the fight for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, especially critical now in the Russian Federation.
We also note and are very grateful that along with Sen. Benjamin Cardin, the primary sponsor of the legislation, 13 of the 19 (over two-thirds) Members of the Committee have supported the legislation thus far.
The perpetrators of the November 2009 death of whistle-blowing Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky have not been held accountable by the Russian court system. The regime, in its continuing contempt with regards to this case, may continue to feel emboldened to continue with its behavior.
It is critical that officials who were involved in the human rights abuses surrounding Magnitsky’s death are targeted with effective travel and financial sanctions. We have read that the names of those involved in these human rights abuses might be kept secret. We feel that without naming the names, there will be no shame and that accountability may suffer.
With this in mind, we urge you to pass legislation in which these perpetrator’s names are made public.
As Senator Cardin wrote last year, this legislation sends “the unambiguous warning that even if your home country looks the other way as you violate human rights and trample the rule of law, the United States will not stand by as an unwitting accomplice in your crimes.” We hope that you will ensure that this remains the case.
We look forward to the passage of S. 1039/H.R. 4405, and thank you again for your efforts to move this along.
Sincerely,
Karl Altau
Managing Director
***
Cc: Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hairy girl займ на карту https://www.zp-pdl.com https://zp-pdl.com/get-quick-online-payday-loan-now.php hairy girl
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Urge Your Member of Congress to Co-Sponsor the Magnitsky Act (S. 1039 and H.R.4405)
More co-sponsors are needed to support the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act in the U.S. Congress, and to ensure its passage. The legislation is essential as it is directed towards stemming human rights abuses and corruption in the Russian Federation.
As the recent fraudulent Duma and presidential elections have shown, along with Vladimir Putin’s return to the Russian presidency, the potential for continued abuses by the Russian state grows greater. The continual authoritarian backsliding of the regime, rampant corruption, human rights violations, and lack of accountability and cynicism towards rule of law endangers not only democratic forces within Russia, but poses threats to other countries, particularly neighboring ones like Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The Senate Magnitsky Act (S. 1039), introduced by Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) on May 19, 2011 currently has 33 co-sponsors. The current House bill (H.R. 4405) was reintroduced on April 19 this year by Congressman James McGovern (D-MA), and currently has 23 co-sponsors. The coming few weeks will be critical for helping bring this legislation up for a vote.
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