Two Minute Tribute Song on YouTube to Mark 5th Anniversary of Sergei Magnitsky’s Murder in Russian Police Custody

November 16, 2014

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To commemorate the fifth anniversary of Sergei Magnitsky’s death in Russian police custody, please join us by watching a short song on YouTube devoted to Sergei’s life and his sacrifice (LINK to Song).

Sergei Magnitsky was a 37-year old Russian anti-corruption lawyer who uncovered a $230 million fraud perpetrated by Russian government officials and organised criminals. After he implicated Russian police officers in the crime, he was arrested by the very same officers, tortured and brutally killed at Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center in Moscow on 16 November 2009.

The Magnitsky music video goes on to show poignant images of Russians protesting against the impunity in the Magnitsky case carrying posters: “Fighting Corruption Can Kill”; “Putin is not Russia”, “Our Freedom Can’t Be Taken Away”, “I Will Fight for My Rights.”

 

The video concludes with a photo of Sergei on holiday with his friends and the by-line: “Russian hero.”

While the killing of Sergei Magnitsky has ignited worldwide condemnation and lead to numerous political and legal calls for justice around the globe, five years on there has still been no justice for Sergei Magnitsky in Russia. Instead, he himself was posthumously prosecuted in the first posthumous trial in the history of Russia, with the judge presiding at the trial immediately promoted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian authorities also last year closed the investigation into his death finding “no sign of crime,” and refused all applications from Sergei Magnitsky’s mother to reopen the investigation into the evidence of his torture and murder.

On Friday, the US State Department released a statement on the eve of the fifth anniversary of Sergei Magnitsky’s death which says:

“Despite widely-publicized, credible evidence of criminal conduct resulting in Magnitskiy’s death, Russian authorities have failed to bring to justice those responsible. We remain concerned about impunity for this crime and the atmosphere of intimidation for those who work to uncover corruption or human rights abuses in the Russian Federation. On the fifth anniversary of Magnitskiy’s death, we continue to call for full accountability for those responsible for his unjust imprisonment and wrongful death and we will continue to fully support the efforts of those in Russia who seek to bring these individuals to justice, including through implementation of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012.” (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/11/234094.htm)

Sergei Magnitsky’s case and the impunity of the Russian officials involved have become a symbol of the corruption and failing justice system in Russia, and of the abuse of the rights of its citizens who challenge the authorities.

The Sergei Magnitsky tribute song was written by a songwriter Samuel Smith, and recorded as a result of a request made on www.movements.org, a crowd-sourcing platform for human rights activists around the world. The video directed by Alexandra Ageeva has been created by Russian civic rights activists, including Pussy Riot, who conducted a series of one-person protest actions around Moscow this summer.

Tribute to Sergei Magnitsky five years after his death by Russian civil society activists

Tweet and pass along (LINK to Song)

Softly spoken, words bleed the truth
And help discover the broken and confused
The fight for justice and the path of one man
Bring new beginnings and take down corrupt plans

Sergei,
You can’t pass away from the people who know
Sergei,
Your words lead the way for the world to go

You didn’t lose your life in vain
Everyone on Earth will remember the name
Sergei,
Everyone on Earth will remember the name

Jailed for the words that he spoke
His name lives on
In the name of the music and the folks
Who fail to forget that rulers need
To show respect to the people they lead

Sergei,
You can’t pass away from the people who know
Sergei,
Your words lead the way for the world to go

You didn’t lose your life in vain –
Everyone on Earth will remember the name
Sergei,
Everyone on Earth will remember the name
Sergei
Sergei

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