Press Release

4 July 2012 – “The Magnitsky Files,” an 18-minute documentary showcasing the links between the Russian government and organised crime, will be premiered at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Monaco on Thursday, 5 June 2012 at 12:30 pm.

The event entitled “Rule of Law and the Sergei Magnitsky Case” has been organized by members of national parliaments from a number of OSCE countries including: Joao Soares (Portugal), Walburga Habsburg-Douglas (Sweden), Matteo Mecacci (Italy), Tony Lloyd (UK), Hedy Fry (Canada), Doris Barnett (Germany) and Oleh Bilorus (Ukraine).

The screening will be taking place at the OSCE Parliamentary assembly’s annual meeting in which 320 members of parliament from 56 OSCE countries will be gathering to discuss human rights, conflict prevention and promotion of democracy throughout OSCE countries.

After the screening of “The Magnitsky Files”, William Browder, who is running a global campaign for justice for his late lawyer, will be leading a discussion about the Magnitsky case and what it means for the rule of law in Russia. He will also be working with members of different national parliaments around the world to promote visa sanctions and asset freezes of Russian officials implicated in Magnitsky’s persecution.

“The Magnitsky Files” show how Russian officials who have approved massive fraudulent tax refunds have close links and travelled on numerous occasions jointly with criminals who perpetrated the thefts.

“It was the exposure of these crimes and illicit connections that cost Mr Magnitsky his life,” said U.S. Senator John McCain (http://www.scribd.com/doc/98337177/Untitled).

Subsequent investigations by independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta showed that serial thefts from the Treasury continued after Sergei Magnitsky’s death, and that over $800 million was stolen between 2006 and 2010. Officials implicated in the thefts and their families have been shown to have enriched themselves with $47 million in property and assets held both in Russia and abroad.

“The Magnitsky Files” is dedicated to late Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer for the Hermitage Fund, who uncovered and testified about the role of government officials in the serial thefts from the treasury, who then was arrested by the same officials he had testified against, and tortured to death in custody.

Over 250,000 Russians have already watched “Magnitsky Files” on Youtube since its release last Thursday (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaQP8IAITmk&feature=channel&list=UL). It has become one of the most frequent posts on Twitter, live Internet blogs and other social media. Russian state TV channels, however, have refused to show it or refer to it in any of their programming.

The U.S. premier of the “Magnitsky Files: Organized Crime Inside the Russian Government” documentary took place in Washington, D.C. last week with U.S. Senator John McCain and Freedom House’ David Kramer.

 

For further information please contact: 

Hermitage Capital

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