UK Parliament Calls For Sanctions On Russia For Magnitsky Death

UK Parliament Calls For Sanctions On Russia For Magnitsky Death

By Terance Walsh
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

LONDON, United Kingdom — The parliament of the United Kingdom unanimously passed a resolution urging sanctions against Russian officials for the egregious arrest and murder of Sergei Magnitsky.  The resolution was proposed by Dominic Raab and calls on the government of the UK to freeze the assets and visas of sixty Russian officials who were complicit in Magnitsky’s death.

Sergei Magnitsky (Photo courtesy of RIANOVOSTI).

The measure is labeled “Human Rights Abuses and the Death of Sergei Magnitsky.”

The human rights issues surrounding Magnitsky arise from a $230 million tax fraud scheme perpetrated by tax agents who registered fake companies with Hermitage Capital.  In 2008 Magnitsky uncovered the scheme.  The Russian government, instead of punishing the wrongdoers, framed Magnitsky and blamed him for the scheme.  The government subjected Magnitsky to abhorrent living conditions in prison and denied him urgent medical treatment.  They allowed him to die on the floor of the Matrosskaya Tishina prison hospital while he waited for a doctor for over an hour.

An investigation by Hermitage Capital leader William Browder uncovered the framing scheme and found that the true criminals were all enriched by the scheme while truth tellers were punished.  Meanwhile the Kremlin has perpetuated the cover-up by seeking to prosecute Magnitsky posthumously.

“All the suspects were cleared by Russian investigators. Some have been promoted, some decorated. In fact, the only people on trial are Magnitsky’s employer and Magnitsky himself, now the subject of Russia’s first ever posthumous prosecution,” Raab said.

The bill passed by the UK Parliament is meant to support the truth Magnitsky worked for and help those fighting for human rights improvements in Russia.

“The UK Parliament has spoken overwhelmingly in solidarity with Sergei Magnitsky and the other brave voices fighting for the rule of law and reform in Russia. The government should now heed its will and come forward with a bill to impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for torture, assassination and other crimes against those struggling to promote or defend the most basic freedoms we enjoy here,” said Mr. Raab, MP.

Other Members of Parliament have expressed enthusiasm over the measure.  “I am delighted that the House of Commons has unanimously expressed its will that the UK should join other government around the world in refusing visas and travel rights into the UK for those responsible for the persecution and death of Sergei Magnitsky,” said Sir Malcom Rifkind, MP.

Alistar Burt, the UK’s Foreign Office Minister, said that he does not oppose the bill, but it is the policy of his office not to comment on individual cases.

Mr. Burt did mention, however, that “[t]he death of Sergei Magnitsky serves as a stark reminder of the human rights situation in Russia, and questions about the rule of law there.”

The measure calling for sanctions comes on the heels of Vladimir Putin re-taking the Russian presidency.  Parliament declared its intent to shed light on Russian human rights abuses prior to debating the Magnitsky sanctions bill.  Former foreign secretary William Millband stated, “[t]his is not about Russia-bashing but support for a Russia fit for the history of that country.”

The measure calls for sanctions for those who

“(a) were involved in the detention, physical abuse or death of Sergei Magnitsky;

(b) participated in efforts to conceal the legal liability for the detention, abuse or death of Sergei Magnitsky;

(c) committed the frauds discovered by Sergei Magnitsky; or

 (d) are responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture or other gross violations of human rights committed in Russia or any other country against any individual seeking to obtain, exercise, defend or promote basic and internationally recognised human rights, including those set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966.”

While the debate in Parliament was ongoing Russian officials objected to any proposed sanctions by the British government.  The Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom sent written objections to Member so Parliament telling them of errors in their proposed sanctions.

Mr. Raab responded “It’s bad enough Mr Putin’s regime corrupting elections in Russia. But it adds insult to injury for him to send envoys to try to subvert democracy in this country.”

The United States and the Netherlands have both imposed visa bans against Russian officials involved in Magnitsky’s death.  Russia responded by banning certain American and Dutch officials, but none of the countries have actually carried out the ban. 

The United States Congress is currently considering a measure similar to the one urged by Parliament.  The Obama administration has shown no urgency to pass the measure, however, likely because of the provision in the bill that requires sanctions for any official associated with “gross violations of human rights.”  This proposition would drastically change the US’s human rights policy.

Last month the European Parliament’s delegation on relations with Russia requested that European Union member nations take action against Russia in response to the Magnitsky affair.

Raab has called on the UK government to pass the measure before the Queen’s speech, scheduled to take place on May 9th.

For more information please see:

The Guardian — At Last, The British Parliament Demands Action Against Corrupt And Murderous Russian Officials — 8 March 2012

Law and Order in Russia — British Parliament Votes Unanimously In Favor Of Magnitsky Sanctions — 8 March 2012

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — U.K. Lawmakers Urge Sanctions Against Russians Over Magnitsky Death — 8 March 2012

RIANOVOSTI — British MPs Urge Magnitsky List Sanctions — 8 March 2012

The Guardian — Russia ‘Tries To Gag British Parliament’ — 7 March 2012

BBC — UK MPs To Stage Debate Over Russia’s Human Rights Record — 28 February 2012

 

Truck Drivers Strike Against New Policy Banning Use of Highways During Peak Hours

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASÍLIA, Brazil – The city of Sao Paulo, Brazil recently saw a massive strike by union truck drivers for petroleum companies.  The drivers went on strike for almost three days in response to city officials passing new legislation that banned commercial truck’s from using main through fares during certain times of the day.

A customer arriving at a gas station in Sao Paulo is told that there is no fuel available to purchase. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)

Sao Paulo is a very congested urban center with over 11 million citizens and approximately 7 million vehicles.  Throughout the city there are roughly 2,000 gas stations.  By late afternoon yesterday, nearly all those stations were running short on gasoline, and many were already closed down as they had already emptied their gas and ethanol supplies.

The truckers union stated that the new legislation unfairly targets them by limiting their access to major highways during peak hours of the day.  This then forces them to take alternative routes that increase their costs of driving and the time they spend working.  All 800 of the city’s tank truck drivers participated in the strike.

On Tuesday afternoon, a state court judge issued a ruling that the strike must end or the union would be fined an amount of $1 million reais ($566,828 US).  One of the most pressing concerns was that the strike would also shut down public transportation throughout the city.

Claudinei Pelegrini, the Vice-President of the Sao Paulo truck drivers union, enunciated the union’s goal that talks be initiated to revoke the new restrictions.  Pelegrini noted, late on Wednesday, that his members move more than 90% of all petroleum in the city.  He demanded that an agreement must be reached or else truck drivers for food and construction materials would also join the strike.

Despite enunciating these pressures, Pelegrini noted that emergency services would not be affected by the strike.  He said deliveries to airports, hospitals, police and fire stations would take place.  City officials expressed their opposition to the strike, noting that police and military escorts were being used to allow for deliveries of supplies by a few drivers not participating in the strike.

The strike stands to affect local business owners in a drastic way, even if it is successfully ended within the next few days.  NPR reports that Marcelo Fernandes, a local gas station owner, will lose roughly $15,000 in sales for each 24 hour period that his gas tanks stand empty.

“They’re killing us, the government has got to give in to the guys. In the best-case scenario, if they ended the strike now, I don’t think I would get any fuel before Thursday,” said Fernandes.

 

For more information, please see;

CNN – Gas Pumps Near Empty in Sao Paulo due to Trucker’s Strike – 7 March 2012

NPR – Gas Stations Running Dry as Brazil Truckers Strike – 7 March 2012

San Francisco Chronicle – Sao Paulo Drivers Strike, Halt Gasoline Delivery – 7 March 2012

BBC – Sao Paulo Lorry Drivers’ Strike hits Fuel Supplies – 6 March 2012

Iran Sets Up Council To Monitor Internet

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On Wednesday, 7 March, Ayatollah Ali Kahamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, created the Supreme Council of Virtual Space to oversee the domestic and international internet usage.  Iran’s state television reported Ayatollah Khamenei declared he was “establishing a center of national virtual space to define policy and co-ordinate and make decisions regarding virtual space.”

An example of a site that the Iranian Cyber Army Hacked. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

Reporters Without Borders, a free-speech lobby group, noted that Iran has blocked websites and filtered keywords to censor the internet.  However, the formation of this council is Iran’s strongest initiative to regulate the internet.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will head the council composed the president of the parliament, the head of Iran’s judiciary, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, the director of Iran’s broadcasting organization, the minister of information, and the commander of the Revolutionary Guard.

Ayatollah Khamenei’s degree stated the council will protect the country from “harm” resulting from “the increasing spread of information and communication technologies, particularly that of the global internet network and its important role in personal and social life.”  The council is also “responsible for safeguarding national and cultural values,” ensuring “safety of the internet,” and taking “measures to deal with challenges facing the national security and cultural values.”

Iran has previously tackled two particular cyber threats: computer viruses and “cultural invasion”.

Ayatollah Khamenei stated Iran will develop internet tools like Google to protect national security interests and so Iranians would not need to visit websites managed outside Iran.  In January, Esmail Ahmadi Moghadam, Iran’s police chief, described Google as an “instrument of espionage.”  In June, Iran plans to release its own search engine called “Yahaq” (meaning “Oh Lord”).

In 2010, the Revolutionary Guards created a “cyber army” to fight “destructive” networks.  The “cyber army” arrested hundreds of internet users.  The courts sentenced some of these users to death.  Iran also relies on special teams to execute “soft-war” counter-measures against the West.

Iranian authorities have blocked telephone lines and inducted internet slowdowns or disconnections during their recent increase of their surveillance and restrictions on the internet.  The authorities intensify their internet control specifically during times of political unrest.

Now, people must give their full names and show their identification to use an internet café monitored by the Iranian authorities.

This week, 30 million Iranians could not log into their Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail accounts.  An Iranian news agency credited Iran’s actions to prevent opposition against the upcoming celebration of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

For further information, please see:

Sydney Morning Herald – Iran’s Leader Sets Up Internet Control Group – 8 Mar 2012

BBC – Iran’s Supreme Leader Sets Up Body To Oversee Internet – 7 Mar 2012

Haartetz – Ahmadinejad Heads New Council To ‘ Safeguard’ Iranian Internet Values – 7 Mar 2012

Iran Focus – Iran Considers Cyberspace Council – 7 Mar 2012

 

China Increases Military Spending by 11.5 Percent

By: Jessica Ties
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – On March 5, 2012 the National People’s Congress approved a measure to boost spending on domestic security by 11.5 percent bringing the total budget to 111.4 billion U.S. dollars.

China has announced plans to boost domestic security spending by 11.5 percent (Photo Courtesy of The New York Times).

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged that the increase in spending would be used to pursue modernization and expansion of the Chinese law enforcement agencies including the People’s Armed Police which is responsible for controlling domestic riots.

The approval of increased spending has caused some to fear that the “stability maintenance” measures undertaken this year ahead of leadership transition could become a permanent program.

In his annual address, Wen stated that the most important task for the Chinese military “…is to win local wars under information-age conditions.”

The statement was likely prompted by the Chinese government’s recent experiences with domestic unrest, including a string of twenty-five self-immolations that have occurred in the past year.

In addition, approximately one-hundred petitioners were detained earlier this week after traveling to Beijing to express their grievances with Chinese authorities.

Those detained were taken to unofficial detention centers known as “black jails” where detainees are often held until they can be taken back to their home town by local officials.

Other activists complained that after attempting to deliver petitioning letters to the National People’s Congress building, they were taken by police and told that such activity was illegal.

In addition to concerns about the affect of increased domestic security spending on dissidents, some have expressed frustration that the money is not being used to provide other services.

The new budget for domestic security, for the second consecutive year, exceeds the 106.4 billion dollar budget implemented for national defense.

This statistic prompted Liu Kaiming, head of the Local Social observation Research Institute, to state that the “…cost of maintaining public security is greater than the defense of the country…this shows that our society is actually very unstable, if so much has to be spent on maintaining stability.”

Liu continued to also express his belief that the Chinese government is not expending a sufficient amount of its resources on social security, health insurance or education.

In 2010 the number of unrest recorded by the Chinese government was approximately 90,000 illustrating a growth from the 8,700 incidents recorded in 1993.

Although data about the number of protests in China has not been released since 2010, an economist and senior adviser to the State Council, Niu Wenyuan, stated that there is an average of 500 protests each day equating to 180,000 per year.

Some have expressed that the exceedingly high number of protests facing China should be seen as an illustration of structural flaws present in the Chinese government.

 

For more information, please see:

Vancouver Sun – China Fears Unrest at Home More Than Foreign War – 7 March 2012

Merco Press – China Boosts Domestic Security Budget to Face Growing Unrest – 6 March 2012

Radio Free Asia – China Boosts Domestic Security Forces – 6 March 2012

Reuters – China Domestic Security Spending Rises to $111 Billion – 5 March 2012