justice for sergei magnitsky presentation

8/8/2019 Justice for Sergei Magnitsky Presentation

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Justice for Sergei Magnitsky

37-year old Russian anti-corruption lawyertortured to death in police custody

September 2010


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Sergei Magnitskys Testimony

Sergei Magnitsky testified about theinvolvement of Russian police in embezzling

US$230 million of state budget funds


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False ArrestOne month after his testimony, Sergei Magnitsky was arrested by the very same policeofficers he had implicated in the US$230 million corruption.

Sergei Magnitsky documented his repressionand torture in custody in numerouscomplaints filed with Russian authorities

He was held in their custody for nearly 12 months, denied medical care andtortured to death in an attempt to coerce him to change his testimony.

Sergei Magnitskys Hand-Written Complaints


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Death in Custody

Sergei Magnitskys family request for anindependent autopsy was denied by authorities

His family were not notified of his death incustody on 16 November 2009


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A family request to include an independentobserver in the official post mortem examinationwas also denied by authorities


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Sergei MagnitskysFuneral in Moscow

20 November 2009

His body was released to the family byauthorities only on condition of immediate burial.

The family request for a wake was denied


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During the funeral, Sergei Magnitskys relativesnoticed that his hands were bruised


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10 months since the death in custodyof Sergei Magnitsky, and despite hugepublic attention, not a single officialhas been prosecuted.

The case opened into his death doesnot have any suspects.

No one has been charged.

The investigation into the implicatedpolice officers has been continuallystalled by authorities.


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Public is shocked by Magnitskys death and outragedby impunity of officials


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Gordon Brown, formerUK Prime Minister

I was deeply concerned to hear of the death of Sergei Magnitsky

Mr Browder remains in close contact with us and we have raised his serious concerns consistently with the Russian authorities ."

November 2009

Politicians Worldwide Urge for Justice


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Hillary Rodham ClintonUS Secretary of StateSpeaking in Washington at the second U.S. Russia Civil Society to Civil Society Summit,Secretary Clinton urged for justice in Magnitskycase

But there is another element to our agenda Among others, we remember the murdered American journalist Paul Klebnikov; the Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in pre-trial detention last year. We continue to urge that justice be delivered in these cases .

June 2010



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Jerzy Buzek

President ofEuropean Parliament

During his trip to Russia in June 2010, PresidentBuzek raised the Magnitsky case with RussianPresident Medvedev and Duma ChairmanGryzlov. President Buzek expressed his strongreaction to the death of Magnitsky and hiscommitment to monitor the investigation into Mr.Magnitskys death in order to make sure justice isdone for Sergei Magnitsky and his family



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Cecilia MalstrmEuropean Home Affairs

Commissioner

The persecution of Sergei Magnitsky by the officials he had testified against is an emblematic case of the misuse of office and corruption in the police force from which both European and Russian businesses suffer and the lives of

ordinary people are ruined.

Bringing it up at the EU-Russia Council demonstrates how important it is at the highest political level of the EU. We will continue to do

everything to ensure that there is justice for Magnitsky and the cause he fought for, saidspokesperson for Commissioner Malmstrm



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We have followed closely the case of Mr Magnitsky and

wider issues relating to Mr Browders companyThe launch of an investigation into the death in custody of Mr Magnitsky was a welcome step. However, it is important that this investigation should be thorough and transparent if

it is to address both human rights concerns and the effect of this case on investor confidence

These individuals [Russian officials involved in arrest and torture of Magnitsky] would need to obtain a visa to visit the

UK and such an application could, in principle, be refused if the Entry Clearance Officer were satisfied that their presence in the UK would not be conducive to the public good, for example because of character, conduct or associations

William HagueBritish Foreign Minister

Letter from Foreign Secretary William Hague to David Davis, MP



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Radoslaw SikorskiPolish Foreign Minister

Unlawful acts and abuse of human rights cannot go without a reaction from the international community

We think that effective modernization of Russia cannot be reached only through technology and foreign investment

without strengthening the fundamentals of a lawful country,democratic values and respect for human rightsIn the event of international institutions establishing a list of persons, who were involved in the death of the advocate, a consideration will be made to issue appropriate visa

sanctions against them.

Letter from Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski to RyszardKalisz MP, head of the Polish Parliaments HumanRights Committee



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Heidi HautulaChair of European

ParliamentsHuman RightsSubcommittee

The unlawful arrest and torture in detention of Sergei

Magnitsky, carried out by officers he had implicated in the abuse of office and corruption represents one of the most important human rights cases.

State officials and judges responsible for his unlawful arrest, torture and death in custody must be held accountable according to Russian and international norms.



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International Bar AssociationWe are concerned that these activities [arrest and detention without trial of Sergei Magnitsky and persecution of other Hermitage lawyers] are in contravention of Russias obligations national and international law.

Article 17 of the Russian Constitution guarantees that the basic rights and liberties in conformity with the commonly recognized principles and norms of the international law. Article 20 guarantees the right to life, and Article 22 states that everyone shall have the right to freedom and personal inviolability.

Russia ratified the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 1976. According to Article 9 of the ICCPR,everyone has the right to liberty and security of person, and the right to life is outlined in article 6.

Letter to President Medvedev, 8 June 2009, 5 monthsprior to Sergei Magnitskys death

Campaign for Justice for Sergei

Magnitsky


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UK Law Society

The Law Society is deeply troubled by the death of Sergei Magnitsky

We understand that Mr Magnitsky alleged that he had been placed under pressure to falsely incriminate himself and others and that when he refused to do this his conditions of detention became worse

We urge you to order an investigation into the allegations made by Mr Magnitsky of the pressure on him to falsely incriminate

himself and others and the link between this and the conditions of his detention.

Letter to President Medvedev

7 December 2009

Campaign for Justice for SergeiMagnitsky


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Allison GillDirector ofMoscow office



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Mikhail Ugarov,Russian Playwright

Yuri Shevchuk,Russian Rock Star

Liya Akhedzhakova,Russian Actress

Staged a play in Moscow aboutthe torture of Sergei Magnitsky

in custody based on his diaries

Asked Prime Minister Putin toinvestigate corrupt officials implicated

by Magnitsky, to no avail

Described as fascism theactions of officials towards

Magnitsky


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Magnitsky

Andrei Makarov, RussianDuma Member

Valery Borschev, Chairman of

Human Rights Watchdog overDetention Centres

Organised a program on Russian TVand expressed his outrage with policeofficials who continue to cover up their

role in Magnitskys death

Wrote a damning report based on a 6-weekinvestigation about the tortuous conditionsand physical and psychological pressure

placed on Magnitsky while in custody


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Magnitsky

Nikolai Uskov,Editor of Russian GQ

Dmitry Muratov,Editor of Novaya Gazeta newspaper

Published Magnitskys hand-writtendiaries

Campaigned for public awarenessof Magnitskys torture among his

fans on the Internet


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Cardin List of 60 Corrupt Russian

OfficialsThe list includes 60 Russian officials including: police,

prosecutors, judges, tax officers and other officials implicated by

Sergei Magnitsky in corruption and his persecution


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The initiative to implement visa bans against corruptofficials resonates worldwide


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Justice For Sergei Magnitsky

Mr. Yuri Alekseevich Ryzhov, Member of the Russian Academy of Science

Mr. Sergei Adamovich Kovalev, Chairman of the Human Rights Organization, MemorialMr. Sergei Aleksandrovich Filatov, President of the Foundation for Socio-Economic and Intellectual Programs

Ms. Marietta Omarovna Chudakova, Member of the European Academy, Professor of LiteratureMr. Alexei Kirillovich Simonov, President of the State Foundation, Glasnost Defense

Ms. Lyudmila Mikhailovna Alekseeva, Chairman of the Moscow Helsinki GroupMr. Vladimir Aleksandrovich Ryzhkov, Chairman of the Russian Political Party, The Choice of Russia

Mr. Igor Aleksandrovich Kharichev, Secretary of the Moscow Union of WritersPriest Gleb Yakunin, Member of the Moscow Helsinki Group

Mr. Lev Aleksandrovich Ponomarev, Executive Director of the Human Rights GroupMr. Kirill Sergeevich Kabanov, Chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Committee of Russia

Mr. Ernst Isaakovich Cherny, Executive Secretary of the Public Committee for the Protection of Scientists

Mr. Igor Borisovich Chubais, Professor of the University of Peoples Friendship, Member of the Editorial Boardof PosevMr. Boris Pavlovich Pustyntsev, Chairman of the Human Rights Organization, Civilian Control

On 13 September 2010, leading Russian activistsappealed to US and EU to enact visa bans

against 60 implicated Russian officials


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Justice For Sergei Magnitsky

Recent developments show that Russian government has not taken any meaningful steps to investigate the circumstances of the arrest, detention,torture and death of Mr. Magnitsky or the circumstances surrounding the embezzlement of 5.4 billion rubles [US$230 million] of funds from the Russian treasury, a crime discovered and reported to Russian law enforcement by Mr.Magnitsky. Moreover, no investigations have been opened in response to

publicly available records that document the sudden increase in the personal wealth of two Interior Ministry officers... Our public appeals to the President and the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation have produced no substantive response.

We are left with no other choice but to request legal support from other states, for which we hope human

rights are not empty words. As such,

1. We appeal to the leaders of the United States to deny entry to those Russian officials who appear on Senator Cardins list.

2. We appeal to the leaders of the European Union to deny entry to those Russian officials who appear on Senator Cardins list.

Appeal to Enact Visa Ban Against 60 Russian Officials

September 13, 2010

Leading Russian Intellectuals

and Civic Rights Activists


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Mother of Sergei Magnitsky

justice for sergei magnitsky presentation

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