Posts Tagged ‘miriam elder’
Cameron meeting Putin is a ‘historical mistake’, says exiled Russian tycoon
Boris Berezovsky urges David Cameron to raise human rights abuses with Putin, especially those against businessmen.
Exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky has warned David Cameron that his decision to meet Vladimir Putin is a “historical mistake” that will lead to more bloodshed inside the country.
Russian dissidents and exiles are urging the prime minister to raise Russia’s disastrous human rights record in his talks with the country’s leadership. Cameron is due to hold a day of talks in Russia on Monday, accompanied by two dozen British businessmen, as the two countries seek to revive a relationship all but frozen in the wake of the London killing of the Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko.
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US bans Russian officials linked to Magnitsky death: report
The Washington Post has a scoop today saying that the US State Department has put Russian officials connected to the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky on a visa blacklist.
Magnitsky’s colleagues have long been pushing for the move. In May, Senator Benjamin Cardin introduced a bill that would impose sanctions on 60 officials involved in Magnitsky’s death, but, according to the Washington Post, the US State Department unilaterally adopted the move.
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Russia Eases on William Browder
Any regular reader of this blog is no stranger to William Browder’s roller-coaster history as a foreign investor in Russia, a one-time success story turned ultimate victim, including the horrific death in prison of his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky following torture by denial of medical services.
While still no one has ever been held accountable for the death of Magnitsky, and instead of investigations into the matter the prosecutors seem much more interested in producing cases and investigations against the victims, today Kommersant is reporting some small developments that may indicate a softening stance towards Browder.
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Medvedev’s press conference: Outtakes
Medvedev held his first big press conference with members of the Russian and foreign press today. You can read my story about it here, focusing on the disappointment of those who thought we’d reach the final episode of Russia’s favorite reality show, Who Will Be The Next President.
But there were some other interesting points I didn’t get to mention there.
Some of the main commentary in the “intellectual” Russian press has focused on the incredibly poor quality of the questions. Medvedev was given two questions about driving – one about paid parking, the other about auto inspections. Russia Today, the Kremlin-owned English-language TV channel, asked if the president thought the West got to know more about Russia under his presidency (translation: “give us a compliment please!”) Another journalist asked Medvedev for advice on building a successful TV channel (the answer: “It must be interesting television.”)
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Russia’s chief whistleblower wants to jail the corrupt
Alexey Navalny leaps out of his chair and draws five black circles on a whiteboard. The circles represent players in Russia’s multibillion-dollar oil industry. With boundless energy and lightning speed, he draws lines and connects the dots, telling the story of what he calls classic Russian corruption.
In Russia, this is not done – at least not publicly. Navalny is speaking in a country that has seen its greatest government critics jailed, exiled and killed. But the 34-year-old lawyer, smart, self-confident and apparently fearless, has made a career of going after Russia’s untouchables. As Russia’s chief whistleblower – a one-man WikiLeaks – he has focused in the past three years on using the law to obtain information from the infamously secretive state-run corporations that fuel the country’s economy and line the pockets of its highest officials.
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Russia’s Energy Czar Speaks
Igor Sechin is one of Russia’s most powerful officials and one of its most secretive. A deputy prime minister tasked with overseeing the oil sector and one of Vladimir Putin’s closest confidantes, he rarely gives interviews. So it’s a big deal when he does, and the Wall Street Journal scored one, published today. It’s definitely worth a read.
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Khodorkovsky verdict sheds light on justice system
Russians begin to take notice as oil tycoon is again found guilty. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the jailed oil tycoon turned liberal martyr, was found guilty today of a second set of charges in a trial held up as a symbol of Russia’s compromised justice system.
The guilty verdict was widely expected but nonetheless provoked harsh condemnation from Russia’s marginalized opposition, international observers and Khodorkovsky’s family.
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