The 'March Against
Scoundrels,' one of the largest opposition rallies
of the Putin era earlier
this year. The suspicious death of lawyer 38-
year-old Sergei Magnitsky,
thought to be a murder-cover-up in the
West and a Russian law
prohibiting the adoption of Russian orphans
by Americans were the
triggers for the march.
European Reporter Battles for U.S.-Style Magnitsky Act (Le Figaro,
France)
"The rights of those guilty of violent abuses of human
rights, whoever and wherever they are, will have their dirty money seized and
travel in democratic countries restricted, particularly in the United States
and Europe, where they most enjoy spending their money. Let's hope that the
same energy being devoted to fighting tax havens will also be devoted to the
fight against anyone flouting the rights of every citizen."
Russian-French journalist Elena Servettaz has written a book called Why Europe Needs a Magnitsky Law: Should the E.U. Follow the US? Sergei Magnitsky's death in a Russian prison, after implicating top officials for tax fraud, is widely regarded as a murder-cover-up in the West, and resulted in the U.S. Magnitsky Act, which targets Russian officials responsible for his death.
The
climate of pessimism in the American capital has been compounded by the fiasco
surrounding the implementation of health care reform -"Obamacare." So far,
hardly10,000 Americans have been able to register on the Web site created
specifically to compare the costs and services of insurance providers and sign
up.
However,
in the midst of this climate of doom and gloom, "ordinary" citizens
are showing that a single person can change the course of history. On November
16, during a reception organized by Freedom House President David J. Kramer,
Russian-French journalist Elena Servettaz presented her book: Why Europe Needs a Magnitsky Law: Should the E.U. Follow the US?
A
news anchor and staff correspondent for RFI (Radio
France Internationale) and a contributor to Russian
and American media, Elena Servettaz put together a
series of essays from 54 contributors from around the world who are all deeply
concerned about the Magnitsky
Affair.
It's
been almost four years to the day since 37-year-old lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died
in a Moscow prison, beaten to death by his captors. His crime? Uncovering the
largest tax fraud ever committed in Russia. It gets better! The fraud was the
work of government officials allied with a mafia-style gang (although the
distinction between the two is sometimes difficult to discern). Magnitsky, a
lawyer for American businessman William Browder, noticed
the disappearance of $230 million from the Russian state. When he sought to take
the case to court, he was arrested by officials connected to the embezzlement.
It
was a year ago that the United States Congress passed the Magnitsky Act,
prohibiting entry into the United States by anyone with a role in Magnitsky's
death. The black list is not complete. As new perpetrators are revealed, their
names are added to the list of shame.
Elena
Servettaz, who covered the Sergei Magnitsky case as a
journalist and is one of the leading experts on grassroots opposition movements
and activists in Russia, had the idea for a project to bring together members
of the European Union to consider the adoption of a Magnitsky Law for Europe.
She asked people as diverse as Putin opponent Alexei Navalni, U.S. Senator John McCain, and even the father of
one of the members of Pussy Riot to contribute to the debate on such
legislation.
Elena
Servettaz is part of the old tradition of
"muckrakers," which emerged out of the scandals of early 20th century
America - investigative reporters whose work contributed significantly to
reforming society. Among the most celebrated are Lincoln Steffens and H.L. Mencken, and more
recently, I.F. Stone and
Seymour Hersch.
Lincoln Steffens, H.L. Mencken, I.F. Stone and
Seymour Hersch:
journalists that have followed the motto 'afflict the
comfortable,
and comfort the afflicted.'
The
result of this remarkable work, Why
Europe needs a Magnitsky Law, has just been published. Elena Servettaz has already promoted her book in five countries,
making presentations in the British Parliament, the French Senate, the European
Parliament, the Dutch Parliament in The Hague, Washington, D.C., and the
Harriman Institute of Columbia University in New York.
This
book and the advocacy of [Magnitsky's former employer] William Browder mark the
beginning of a new era of human rights. First came the "duty
to intervene" championed by Doctors Without Borders in the wake of the
1968 Biafran
War [present-day Nigeria]. This new stage is more attuned to globalization
and development of the mafia state: the rights of those guilty of violent
abuses of human rights, whoever and wherever they are, will have their dirty
money seized and travel in democratic countries restricted, particularly in the
United States and Europe, where they most enjoy spending their money. Let's
hope that the same energy being devoted to fighting tax havens will also be
devoted to the fight against anyone flouting the rights of every citizen.
Elena
Servettaz's book may trigger an avalanche, just as a
simple snowball starts down the slopes, soon becoming a force that sweeps away
everything in its path.
