Stop the Untouchables. Justice for Sergei Magnitsky.

Magnitski Sanctions: “a strong political signal against corruption and impunity”

The New Federalist

European Parliament adopted last week “Sanctions Magnitski” to send a strong political signal against corruption and impunity in Russia. Stephanie Brancaforte from Avaaz explains the aim of this action.

The New Federalist: Could you remind us what about is the vote on “Magnitsky Sanctions” in committee in the European Parliament this week?

Stephanie Brancaforte: The so-called Magnitsky sanctions target Russian officials involved in the death of the international lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. MEP Kristiina Ojuland submitted a proposal for the EU governments to make a list of about 60 suspected officials and to impose an EU-wide visa ban and asset-freeze on the lot. The EP Foreign Affairs Committee – to whom Avaaz delivered its campaign last week – adopted this proposal by 62 votes against two last week.

Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer, died in November 2009 after being held for 358 days in a pre-trial detention centre. He had been arrested himself after alleging systematic and large-scale corruption and theft from the Russian government sanctioned by officials. Though suffering from serious ill health, he was refused adequate medical treatment and died eight days before he would have had to be released or brought to trial.

TNF: Is it so important that Europe take a political action on this subject?

Stephanie Brancaforte: The death of Sergei Magnitsky is part of a pattern of government injustice and manipulation of the judiciary in Russia. More recently, the condemnation of Pussy Riot focused world attention on the tightening repression in Russia:clamping down on public protest, electoral fraud, media intimidation, banning gay rights parades for 100 years, and detaining and beating opposition leaders like chess champion Garry Kasparov.