Posts Tagged ‘visa’
First EU country imposes sanctions on Russian officials
The UK has become the first EU country to impose sanctions on Russian officials implicated in the murder of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, a British daily reports.
Opposition MP Chris Bryant told The Guardian on Saturday (1 October) that UK immigration minister, Damian Green, from the ruling Conservative party, has confirmed they were quietly put on a visa blacklist.
“From conversations with Damian Green, I took it that these people would not be welcomed. It seems now as if there is a secret ban on these people,” he said.
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Secret visa bans over death of Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky
Up to 60 Russian officials implicated in the controversial death of a whistleblower have been secretly banned from entering the UK by the British government.
Lawyer Sergei Magnitsky was working for Hermitage Capital Management, a British-based investment fund, when he exposed a tax fraud worth pounds 144m, the biggest in Russian history.
After making accusations against Interior Ministry officials, he was arrested and then died in police custody after being denied medical care. Human rights activists say that the father-of-two was tortured and badly beaten in the hours before his death in November 2009. John McCain, the former US presidential candidate, and others have called for sanctions against Russian officials implicated in Magnitsky’s death.
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Dutch foreign minister could raise Magnitsky sanctions issue with EU
Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has urged the Russian authorities to prosecute the officials responsible for the death of Hermitage Capital lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, the company said.
The Netherlands Foreign Minister Professor Uri Rosenthal has sent a report to the Dutch Parliament about compliance with the resolution made by the lawmakers in July this year, imposing sanctions against Russian officials in the Magnitsky case, according to the company’s press release obtained by Interfax on Thursday.
In the event of no acceptable results of the Russian inquiry into Magnitsky’s death, Rosenthal “will raise the matter of taking measures against the Russian officials in the Magnitsky case at the EU level, the press release said.
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Dutch minister urges EU-wide sanctions on Magnitsky’s alleged killers
Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has called for European Union-wide sanctions on Russian officials blamed for the death of Hermitage Capital lawyer Sergei Magnitsky if Russia fails to take criminal action against them.
“Depending on the outcomes of the Russian judicial investigation, I intend to raise the possibility of further action at EU level,” a Hermitage statement quoted Rosenthal as saying in a letter to the Dutch parliament.
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Great Britain might introduce sanctions against the Russians on the Magnitsky List
WPS: What the Papers Say
MacShane said, “Magnitsky’s death was gruesome but nobody has ever been brought to answer for it even though identities of these people are known. Hermitage Capital is a British company. Its head William Browder is a citizen of Great Britain. The authorities of Great Britain cannot remain a disinterested observer.”
“Since Moscow is clearly unwilling to prosecute the people whose decisions and actions resulted in the death of an innocent, it becomes our duty. Putin and Medvedev ought to be reminded that the days of Josef Stalin are over and impunity with them. The United States has made its contribution. It’s our turn now.”
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U.S. shouldn’t overrate Russian gamesmanship
Beware of Russians bearing gifts.
But not too much.
Disguised as a goodwill gesture, Russia’s plan to restart nuclear talks with Iran is in fact a tit-for-tat ploy. It is designed to annoy the United States for imposing visa restrictions last month on Russian officials implicated in the death of a lawyer who had unearthed evidence of massive corruption perpetrated by the regime of Russian Prime Minster Vladimir Putin, who previously served as president.
The plan is Russia’s barely veiled threat to drop its reluctant support of international sanctions imposed on Iran for its apparent efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
It is not the first time Russia has tried to spite Washington in the wake of the visa restrictions imposed after a lawyer for Hermitage Capital Management, once the largest foreign investor in Russia, died in police custody on trumped-up charges of tax avoidance. In fact, he was arrested for alleging a $230 million state-orchestrated fraud.
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US visa ban on Russian officials poses questions for EU
The US has quietly imposed a visa ban on senior Russian officials believed to have played a part in the murder of lawyer Sergey Magnitsky, posing questions about EU handling of the affair.
A state department memo confirms that most or all of the 60 officials implicated in the Magnitsky conspiracy have been red-flagged in the Consular Lookout and Support System (CLASS), a database used to grant or refuse visas.
The non-public memo, dated 22 July, says: “[US secretary of state Hilary] Clinton has applied existing laws and authorities to implement the visa limitations on multiple individuals associated with the wrongful death of Sergey Magnitsky.” It adds: “Individuals included on the list … are already flagged in the visa adjudication (known as CLASS) system used by visa officers.”
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U.S. gets serious on Russian mega-corruption case
One of Russia’s most notorious scandals, the death in prison of hedge fund lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, is taking on an international political dimension. The United States has become the first country to impose a visa ban on Russian officials accused of complicity in the affair, which threatens to sour U.S.-Russia relations. But Russia’s conspicuous failure to investigate this crucial case means the West is right to act.
No case better illustrates the pervasive nature of Russian corruption — and the Kremlin’s woeful failure to tackle it. A lawyer for London-based Hermitage Capital, managed by the well-known investor William Browder, Magnitsky was arrested after he had accused Russian officials of involvement in a $230 million tax fraud. His subsequent death in prison naturally caused a global stink. But the subsequent cover-up was even more shocking and revealing. Russia’s inability to pursue the real culprits seems to indicate that its entire law enforcement system is rotten to the core.
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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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