The widow of Sergei Magnitsky with his corpse, at his funeral in
Moscow:
His death in a Russian prison, after implicating top officials
in a complex
scheme to defraud the government, is widely regarded as a
murder-cover-
up in the West. Magnitsky now casts a long shadow over U.S.-Russia
ties.
Duma Lawmakers
Promise 'Retaliation' if U.S. Expands Magnitsky List (Izvestia,
Russia)
"[It is likely the U.S. will expand the list]. This is
attested to by the hostile acts of U.S. prosecutors, who allege that our
diplomats have been involved with espionage and a medical insurance scam. It
seems to me that there has been a wave of anti-Russian hysteria aroused by our
decision over Edward Snowden. The expansion of the Magnitsky list is a reprisal
by the Americans. I believe that the statement by the prosecutor and the
expansion of the list will not be the end of America's anti-Russian actions."
--
Senator Igor Morozov, Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee
If the U.S. expands the "Magnitsky list,"
Russia will take "reciprocal measures," Duma
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov tells
Izvestiya. Pushkov was echoing the reaction of Russian lawmakers and
diplomats to U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul's statement yesterday that a revision
of the document has not been ruled out, and that a decision would be made by
the end of the year. Experts in the United States don't discount the
possibility of an expansion of the list, but don't believe it will change
anything, since as it is, relations between Russia and the United States cannot
be characterized as good.
McFaul made the statement while talking to
Russian journalists. According to the ambassador, the list is currently under
review, but a final decision has yet to be made.
"In the end, he (Secretary of State
Kerry) will address this issue, and as you know, there is a public portion of the list and a secret
portion. None of these questions have been decided yet, but the process is likely
to be completed by the end of the year," the ambassador added.
The [public section] of the Magnitsky List
was first published in April 2013, and includes 18 Russian officials the U.S.
believes were tied to the 2009 death of Hermitage Capital lawyer Sergei
Magnitsky, who died in the MatrosskayaTishina detention center, after uncovering large-scale
embezzlement and corruption by government officials. The law allows the U.S. to
freeze the assets of those on the list and bar their entry into the country.
In response to McFaul's announcement, ConstantinDolgov, Commissioner
for Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law at the Foreign Ministry said, "Following
these measures (the expansion of the list), adequate steps will be taken in response."
Dolgov claimed there was "nothing surprising in
McFaul's statement," as under the American law, the U.S. is to
periodically update the list of Russians denied entry into the country.
"This wasn't our choice, but flawed
choice made by the Americans. If they continue down that path, well, it means
that retaliatory measures will be taken. Of course, these will certainly not
help improve or positively develop bilateral relations," the diplomat said.
Remember that Russia has the "DimaYakovlev List," which prohibits entry [into Russia] of 18
U.S. citizens who were accessories to the legalization of and torture at the Guantanamo
prison, as well as violations of the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens
abroad.
If the U.S. expands its list, then we
will respond in kind. As far as we know, Congressman Jim McGovern has already
appealed to U.S. authorities with a proposal to expand the list. Recall that
last time he campaigned to have the list expanded to 280 people, but the [Obama]
administration only increased it slightly, taking it to 18. Everything now
depends on whether Washington wants to revive the confrontation that existed between
our countries last December, and again in April, when the 'Magnitsky Law' came
to the fore of our relations," Alexei Pushkov told
Izvestiya.
Senator Igor Morozov, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council
[Russia's upper house or Senate], believes that the American side will expand
the list.
"This is
attested to by the hostile acts of U.S. prosecutors, who allege that our
diplomats have been involved with espionage and
a medical insurance scam
(the figure claimed is $1.5 million - Izvestiya). It seems to me that there has been a wave of
anti-Russian hysteria aroused by our decision over Edward Snowden. The
expansion of the Magnitsky list is a reprisal by the Americans. I believe that
the statement by the prosecutor and the expansion of the list will not be the end
of America's anti-Russian actions."
Furthermore, Morozov
said, if the issue is not resolved at the highest levels by Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John Kerry, then
Russia's retaliatory measures may be more serious than a simple expansion of
Russia's "DimaYakovlev
List."
Fyodor Lyukanov, chief editor ofRussia in Global Affairs,
believes the same.
"We
cannot rule out the possibility that the List will be expanded. This is neither
good nor bad, as nothing will change because of it. Relations between Russia
and the United States are now at a very low ebb, due primarily to the fact that
there is a broad range of issues that both sides aren't interested in
resolving. If they were, then all of these political questions would be
resolved much more easily. As long as there are so few issues on which Russia
and the United States are forced to engage, other than a few regional conflicts
- Syria, Iran, Afghanistan - then things will carry on precisely as before,"
commented Lyukanov.
