29% of Russians Know About Sergei Magnitsky

October 5, 2010

A new poll conducted by an independent Levada Center shows that 29% of all Russians have heard of the death in custody Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year old lawyer for Hermitage fund tortured for his anti-corruption testimony against police officers. Ten months since his death, no one has been charged for his torture and slow, cruel murder in custody.

The poll also reveals that the majority of Russians want an open investigation of Russian interior ministry officials implicated by Mr Magnitsky in corruption and in his retaliatory arrest.

“This poll shows that the statements made in the last ten months by the Russian interior ministry and prosecutor office trying to cover up the officials who falsely arrested, tortured and killed Sergei Magnitsky are only believed in their small circles. The poll demonstrates that the evidence against them is so damning and overwhelming that no one in Russia or the rest of the world believes a word they are saying in their attempts to cover up for their colleagues in the death of Sergei Magnitsky,” said a Hermitage Capital representative.

According to the poll data, 60% of all Russians support an “open and transparent investigation” of the Interior Ministry officers against whom Magnitsky had testified for their involvement in embezzling $230 million of funds that his client, Hermitage fund, paid in taxes to the Russian government.

The majority of those who gave a concrete answer, 79%, believe that the actions by officials to refuse Mr Magnitsky medical care in custody during four months were “deliberate in order to pressure him”, and were not “accidental”.

The poll also showed that few Russians believe that there will be justice for Magnitsky or any consequences for his corrupt torturers in Russia. Only 13% of respondents believe that the officials implicated by Mr Magnitsky in the budget thefts, and who arrested him and were involved in causing his death in custody, will be criminally prosecuted in Russia. As few as 3% think they will be publicly shamed. 17% of respondents expect that these officials will be fired. Finally, almost one third of Russians, 29%, believe that “nothing will happen to them” at all.

One third, or 33% of Russians, believe that the introduction of visa sanctions by the US and EU affecting the Russian officials implicated by Magnitsky in the thefts and his persecution leading to his death, will be “effective” or “very effective”. 26% think it will be somewhat effective, and 10% believe it will be “entirely ineffective.” 31% remain undecided.

The poll was conducted by a leading independent Russian polling organisation, Levada Center. It was a representative poll of 1600 respondents aged 18 years and over, standard error of +/- 1.7%. The poll was held on 17-21 September 2010.

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