Button with a photo of lawyer Sergei
Magnitsky says, ‘We Demand
Justice.’ His
death in a Russian prison, after implicating top Kremlin
officials in a
complex scheme to defraud the government, is seen
as a
murder-cover-up in the West.
Russian Senators Get Cold Shoulder on Capitol Hill Over Magnitsky Act (Svoboda News, Russia)
“The
Russians were unable to fool their American colleagues, which will certainly
annoy Russian officials. This unexpected visit shows the seriousness of the concern
Moscow feels over the fact that something akin to the iron curtain will soon
block corrupt Russian politicians from the world and their favorite party
destinations in the West.”
The unexpected appearance of four Russian senators in Washington -
in an attempt to persuade American lawmakers about the legality of Sergei Magnitsky’s arrest
- surprised American observers. According to them, this mission suggests how
much Russian officials misjudge their image in the United States.
[Editor’s Note: Lawyer Sergei Magnitsky,
an employee of an American firm, was jailed in 2008 on charges of tax evasion
and fraud after implicating top officials in a complex scheme to defraud the
Russian government. His colleagues say the charges were fabricated by police
investigators whom he had accused of stealing $230 million from the state
through fraudulent tax returns. The Kremlin's own human rights council said in
2011 that he was probably beaten to death. In response, the U.S. Congress is now
working on passing the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law
Accountability Act].
The American press interpreted the purpose of the visit of the
four Russian members of the Council of
Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to Capitol
Hill as an attempt to prevent passage of the Magnitsky
Act. But the Russian lawmakers, according to their own statements, were
hoping that meeting with their American counterparts - and familiarizing them with
the results of an investigation conducted by Russian law enforcement - would serve
to convince them that there was a legal basis for Magnitsky’s arrest. But it
was clear as soon as they arrived that the Russian senators would not get the
welcome they expected. Senator Benjamin Cardin, author of the Magnitsky Act, refused to meet the Russian parliamentarians
citing a tight schedule. The cold reception given to the senators at the U.S.
Capitol came as no surprise to David J. Kramer, president
of the advocacy group Freedom
House.
David J. Kramer: I was confident that their mission was doomed to fail. How could
they have come here for such a purpose, when it is so well known that Magnitsky was not only deprived of the medical care he
needed, but was beaten before his death? How do they intend to explain that the
same officials he accused were the ones who brought criminal charges against
him? How can they explain the relationships between these officials and the
various Russian citizens connected to the case? These lawmakers should not have
come here to try and convince us that Magnitsky’s persecution was in accord
with legal standards. They should be establishing a legal society in Russia and
not feeding us this nonsense.
Svoboda News:
With such strong sentiment in favor of the bill evident in Congress, were you
surprised that the Russians embarked on this seemingly futile mission?
David J. Kramer: No, because it is consistent with their modus operandi. In
this case, frankly, every time Russian officials threaten consequences if the Magnitsky bill passes, or lobby against it, it only serves
to increase the number of sponsors of the bill. In this situation, no one in
Congress would believe what the Russians have to say. If they have the time and
the money to come to Washington on a mission, let them do so ... [translated quotes].
American journalist and political analyst David Satter
believes that the Russian senators were counting on the naiveté of American
lawmakers, and were openly trying to mislead them.
David Satter: They probably were counting on the fact
that a majority of senators are unfamiliar with all the details of this complicated
case. So when they presented the results of official investigations implicating
Magnitsky in tax evasion, they thought Americans,
brought up to respect the law, would consider it a powerful argument against
the Magnitsky Act. The lack of attention that marked
the Russians’ appearance in Congress shows, in my opinion, the extent of the preliminary
work carried out by aides of American lawmakers who sponsored the bill. The
Russians were unable to fool their American colleagues, which will certainly annoy
Russian officials. This unexpected visit shows the seriousness of the concern
Moscow feels over the fact that something akin to the Iron Curtain will soon
block corrupt Russian politicians from the world and their favorite party
destinations in the West.
Posted by Worldmeets.US
Svoboda News:
As a result of this, what the impact be on Russian-American relations? Many U.S. observers acknowledge that the United States also needs to
cooperate with Russia.
David Satter:If
foreign policy was entirely under the control of the Obama Administration, I am
confident that there would be no “Magnitsky Act.”
Russia would be subjected to far less pressure than it is now experiencing from
Washington. If after the presidential election, Barack Obama remains in the
White House, he will most likely try to maintain an amicable tone in dealing
with Russia. But the legislative branch will protest whatever appear to be
illegal actions on the part of the Russian authorities. Moreover, one can
foresee a rise in bilateral tension. The Magnitsky
case is only marginally related to this. It is simply that just as he always
has, Putin will continue to cultivate the image of the foreign threat as a tool
in his fight against domestic opposition in Russia. [translated quotes].
The main test of the “Magnitsky Act” will
occur in the next few days. The Senate Finance Committee will vote on the bill normalizing
trade relations with Russia. The head of the committee, Max Bauchus,
intends to bundle the two bills.
