The NY Times: Inquiry Stalled in Death of Russian Lawyer

April 22, 2010

Two human rights cam­paign­ers said on Thurs­day that despite per­son­al inter­ven­tion by Rus­sia’s pres­i­dent, Dmitri A. Medvedev, offi­cials respon­si­ble for the death of a lawyer last year in pre­tri­al deten­tion are fac­ing no sub­stan­tial punishment.

In Novem­ber, Mr. Medvedev ordered an inquiry into the treat­ment of Sergei L. Mag­nit­sky, a 37-year-old lawyer who died in a prison hos­pi­tal after care­ful­ly doc­u­ment­ing his requests for med­ical care. Amid pub­lic out­rage over the case, Mr. Medvedev dis­missed around 20 prison offi­cials and pros­e­cu­tors opened an inquiry into neg­li­gence and refusal of med­ical care.

But five months have passed and no one has yet been charged with a crime. Lyud­mi­la M. Alex­eye­va, who sits on Mr. Medvedev’s human rights coun­cil, said she will rec­om­mend the body take con­trol of the case, which she said “is not moving.”

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