Updated Information on European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee vote on Sergei Magnitsky

November 24, 2010

For­eign Affairs Com­mit­tee of the Euro­pean Par­lia­ment Vot­ed in Favor of the Call for Visa and Eco­nom­ic Sanc­tions Against Russ­ian Offi­cials in Mag­nit­sky Case in its Draft Annu­al Report on Human Rights 

Fur­ther details and clar­i­fi­ca­tions on the vote tak­en in the Euro­pean Par­lia­ment ’s Com­mit­tee on For­eign Affairs on the Sergei Mag­nit­sky case were pro­vid­ed today.

The call for visa and eco­nom­ic sanc­tions on the Russ­ian offi­cials involved in the arrest and death of 37-year old Russ­ian anti-cor­rup­tion lawyer Sergei Mag­nit­sky have been includ­ed as part of the Draft Annu­al Report on Human Rights in the World 2009 and the Euro­pean Union’s pol­i­cy on Human Rights. 

Dr Laima Andrikiene MEP is a Euro­pean Par­lia­ment Rapporteur.
The draft report was vot­ed on in the Com­mit­tee of For­eign Affairs (AFET) on 9 Novem­ber with 50 votes in favor, 0 against and 2 absten­tions. The para­graph on Sergei Mag­nit­sky was tabled by MEPs from the Greens’ and ALDE polit­i­cal groups, and was vot­ed in favour by the mem­bers of the For­eign Affairs Com­mit­tee and con­se­quent­ly incor­po­rat­ed into the Report.

The final vote on the Annu­al Report on Human Rights in the World 2009 will take place dur­ing the next ple­nary of the Euro­pean Par­lia­ment in December.

The text includ­ed in para­graph 115 on the sub­ject of Sergei Mag­nit­sky reads as follows:

“115. Urges the Russ­ian judi­cial author­i­ties to press ahead with the inves­ti­ga­tion about the death of Sergey Mag­nit­sky; calls for the EU entry ban for the 60 Russ­ian offi­cials involved in this case and request the EU law enforce­ment agen­cies to coop­er­ate in order to freeze bank accounts and oth­er assets of these Russ­ian offi­cials in all EU Mem­ber Countries.”

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