Posts Tagged ‘RFE’
EU Lawmakers Call For Sanctions On Russians Involved In Magnitsky Case
The European Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a proposal recommending common visa-restriction regimes and asset freezes to target Russian officials involved in the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
It’s the second time such a resolution has come from Europarliamentarians, with EU members balking at a similar effort two years ago.
In addition to the measures by EU member states, the latest proposal calls on Russia “to conduct a credible and independent investigation encompassing all aspects of the case” and to stop widespread corruption by reforming the judicial system.
The text urges the EU to raise those issues in bilateral meetings with Russia authorities “in a more determined, resolute and result-oriented manner.”
Sergei Magnitsky, a Moscow attorney, was allegedly tortured and beaten to death following nearly a year of pretrial custody in 2009 after uncovering alleged massive fraud by Russian authorities.
The European Parliament passed a similar resolution in 2010, but EU member states have stopped short of endorsing an EU-wide sanctions regime.
Magnitsky’s mother, Natalia Magnitskaya, testified on October 2 at the trial of the sole defendant in the case — Dmitry Kratov, a former deputy warden at Moscow’s Butyrka detention center who is charged with negligence leading to the lawyer’s death. She has urged a further investigation and said other individuals must be held accountable for her son’s killing.
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Magnitsky’s Mother Says Her Son Was Tortured To Death
The mother of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky says the administration of a Moscow detention center created “torture conditions” that killed her son while he was in custody.
Natalia Magnitskaya testified on October 2 at the trial of the sole defendant in the case — Dmitry Kratov, former deputy warden at Moscow’s Butyrka detention center.
Kratov is charged with negligence leading to Magnitsky’s death in November 2009.
Magnitskaya said that more individuals must be held accountable for her son’s death.
The judge rejected Magnitskaya’s request to launch additional investigations into the case.
Authorities say Magnitsky — the attorney for the London-based Hermitage Capital Management — died of heart failure while awaiting trial on charges of tax evasion.
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U.S. Congressmen Unmoved By Russian Visit To Protest Magnitsky Bill
U.S. congressmen appear to be unmoved following the visit of a Russian delegation to Washington this week aimed at protesting pending U.S. sanctions over the death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
Describing the Russian initiative as “too late,” the congressmen told RFE/RL that they expected the legislation to be signed into law. The move would deny visas to dozens of Russian officials implicated in Magnitsky’s death and also freeze any U.S. assets they may hold.
Senator Roger Wicker (Republican-Mississippi) is a member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, where the Magnitsky legislation was first initiated.
“The reports about this tragedy are not isolated,” he said. “There have been two independent reports inside Russia that indicated this was a violation of Mr. Magnitsky’s rights and an abusive process.
“So it’s going to be very difficult, I think, for one packet of information provided by a group of Russian [lawmakers] to overcome the huge body of information.”
Wicker was one of several U.S. lawmakers who met with Aleksei Chernyshev, Vitaly Malkin, Aleksandr Savenkov, and Valery Shnyakin — all members of Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council.
The delegation was in the U.S. capital to present the findings of a “preliminary parliamentary investigation” into the case of the deceased lawyer.
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U.S. Senate Panel Postpones Vote On Magnitsky Bill
A key U.S. Senate panel has postponed its vote on a bill that seeks to sanction Russian officials connected to the prison death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee was scheduled to vote on June 19 on the “Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act,” before a committee lawmaker requested a last-minute delay.
A committee spokesperson told RFE/RL, “As a result of this request, and consistent with long-standing committee practice regarding holdovers, there will not be a vote on the Magnitsky bill at today’s business meeting.”
RFE/RL later confirmed that Senator Jim Webb (Democrat-Virginia) had requested the delay. A spokesperson from his office said, “Senator Webb supports the premise of the Magnitsky Act, but has concerns about some of the language in the current draft and has asked that the bill be held over so that he can more closely examine it.”
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U.S. House Panel Approves ‘Magnitsky’ Bill
A U.S. House of Representatives panel has approved a bill that seeks to deny visas to more than 60 Russian officials implicated in the death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
The draft legislation also aims to freeze the officials’ U.S. assets.
The House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved on a voice vote the “Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act” despite opposition by the Obama administration and Russian warnings that the legislation could threaten bilateral relations.
Magnitsky was arrested in 2008 after implicating top officials in a scheme to defraud the Russian government.
He died after nearly a year in pretrial detention where he was reportedly tortured.
Many in the U.S. Congress favor the bill as a trade-off for lifting trade restrictions on Russia.
The legislation still faces a battle before it can become law, however, as the Senate has delayed considering its version of the bill. займ на карту без отказов круглосуточно срочный займ female wrestling zp-pdl.com https://zp-pdl.com/online-payday-loans-cash-advances.php unshaven girl
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Kerry Backs Pairing Magnitsky Bill With Jackson-Vanik Repeal
U.S. Senator John Kerry, the influential head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he supports a measure to sanction Russian officials for human rights violations as a complement to granting Russia normalized trade status.
According to “Foreign Policy” magazine, which quotes the transcript of a March 27 business meeting of the committee, Kerry (D-Massachusetts) said that pursuing the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law and Accountability Act in conjunction with repealing the Jackson-Vanik Amendment is “the way to move forward.”
The Magnitsky bill would financially sanction and deny U.S. visas to Russian officials connected to the 2009 prison death of anticorruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
While the Obama administration has concern that passing the bill would harm relations with Moscow, many senators favor it as a trade-off for repealing the Cold War-era Jackson-Vanik Amendment, a move the administration advocates.
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U.S. Senate Mulls Jackson-Vanik Repeal
The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance has held a hearing to consider the permanent normalization of trade with Russia, a move that the Obama administration and business leaders are pushing for but which raises the sensitive issue of Moscow’s human rights record.
Committee Chairman Senator Max Baucus (Democrat-Montana) urged his fellow lawmakers on March 15 to repeal the Jackson-Vanik Amendment — Cold War-era legislation that denies Russia permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) — for the sake of the still-fragile U.S. economy.
Doing so, he claimed, could result in a twofold increase in the volume of U.S. exports to Russia, which are currently worth around $9 billion annually.
“If the United States passes PNTR with Russia, U.S. exports to Russia are projected to double within five years,” he said. “If Congress doesn’t pass PNTR, Russia will join the WTO anyway, and U.S. exporters will lose out to their Chinese and European competitors.”
With support from the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, Russia completed its 18-year quest for membership in the World Trade Organization last year. The Duma is set to ratify membership in the coming months.
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Moscow Court Rules That Probe Of Dead Lawyer Magnitsky Is Legal
Moscow City Court has ruled that investigations of deceased attorney Sergei Magnitsky are proper and legal and can continue.
The court on February 27 rejected an appeal by Magnitsky’s relatives to halt government investigations of the deceased attorney for the British-based Hermitage Capital Management.
Magnitsky, 37, was jailed after accusing Interior Ministry officials of involvement in a massive corruption scandal.
He later died in pre-trial detention in 2009 after suffering abuse and medical neglect.
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U.S. Officials Push Jackson-Vanik Repeal, Tiptoe Around Magnitsky Legislation
U.S. State Department officials have urged Congress to repeal the Cold War-era Jackson-Vanik Amendment, trade legislation that has long been used to pressure Russia on human rights issues, arguing that the law is hurting the U.S. economy and that Washington can make its views known in other ways.
In doing so, the officials tiptoed around a proposal that has gained favor in the Senate to punish Russian officials directly for rights abuses and as such, serve as a trade for Congressional repeal of Jackson-Vanik.
The bill, however, which would target officials connected to the death of Russian anticorruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, has been met with hesitation by the administration, as it threatens to damage relations between Washington and Moscow if it becomes law.
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