Senator Cardin Calls Upon Other Countries to Impose Visa Sanctions Against 60 Russian Officials

May 4, 2010

Senator Cardin Calls Upon Other Countries to Follow U.S. Example and Impose Visa Sanctions Against 60 Russian Officials and Others Involved in the Torture and Death of Sergei Magnitsky

4 May 2010 – The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has included in the official Senate record the list of 60 Russian officials and others involved in a $230 million corruption case and the torture and death of 37-year-old lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. (See: Transcript of a Business Meeting of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations at: http://foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/042710.pdf, pages 50-52).

On 27 April 2010, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a business meeting chaired by Senator John Kerry, to discuss the mark-ups of the U.S. State Department authorisation bill. During the meeting, Senator Benjamin Cardin spoke about his request to the U.S. State Department to deny permanently U.S. visas to over 60 Russian officials and others involved in a $230 million corruption exposed by a Moscow-based lawyer for Hermitage Capital, Sergei Magnitsky, his retaliatory arrest on false charges by the same officials he had accused and his subsequent torture and death in custody. Senator Cardin pointed out that “these officials remain unpunished and in a position of power.”

Referring to the human plight of Sergei Magnitsky, Senator Cardin said, “Mr Magnitsky, a 37-year-old Russian citizen, father of two, was repeatedly denied medical treatment while he awaited trial on trumped-up charges.” The Committee Chairman supported Senator Cardin’s request to add the list of 60 Russian officials and others to the official record.

Speaking at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting, U.S. Senator Cardin indicated that he expects the State Department to act on his request to ban entry to the United States to the specified Russian officials. “A visa is a privilege, not a right, and the State Department has the power to revoke that privilege. Directives, including Presidential Proclamation 7750, allow the State Department to bar visas from going to foreign individuals engaged in, or benefiting from, corruption. And I expect them to use it in this case,” stated Senator Cardin.

Senator Cardin reiterated that, “These visa sanctions will send an important message to corrupt officials in Russian and elsewhere, that the United States is serious about combating foreign corruption and the harm it does.”

Senator Cardin also called upon other countries to follow the U.S. example and impose visa sanctions against these Russian officials, “U.S. visa sanctions are an important first step, and I hope other countries will follow suit with similar measures.”

William Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital, said, “An innocent man who had uncovered corruption was killed with the involvement of officials he implicated. Since Sergei Magnitsky died from torture in custody, nobody has been prosecuted. This sends a message that those who did this and anyone else who is thinking of similar types of actions can act with impunity. People are now rising to demand that the individuals behind Sergei’s murder be brought to justice and face consequences both in Russia and around the world.”

The officials implicated in corruption and death of Sergei Magnitsky on the U.S. visa ban target list include Russian Deputy Interior Minister Alexei Anichin, Deputy General Prosecutor Victor Grin and other senior law enforcement officials and judges who were exposed by Sergei Magnitsky in the $230 million fraud and who subsequently orchestrated his persecution, torture and death in custody last year.

Later this week, William Browder will testify about the torture and murder of Sergei Magnitsky before the U.S. Congressional Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (link: http://tlhrc.house.gov/). The testimony is scheduled for Thursday, May 6th at 10:00 am at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2170 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.

Mr. Browder will be calling for further visa sanctions and assets seizures against those Russian officials involved in corruption and gross miscarriage of justice.

For further information:

Hermitage Capital
+44 207 440 1777
info@lawandorderinrussia.org

lawandorderinrussia.org

Transcript of the Business Meeting of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: http://foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/042710.pdf (See pp. 50-52).

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