Press Release
For Immediate Distribution
31 January 2014. – Today, the Russian authorities defied the resolution adopted three days ago by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) byupholding the posthumous guilty verdict against Sergei Magnitsky who was tortured and killed in Russian custody four years ago.
The Moscow City Court announced this morning that the posthumous verdict against Magnitsky “automatically” came into force “because nobody challenged it”.
Just three days ago, delegates from 47 member countries of PACE have adoptedwith an 81% vote the resolution entitled “Refusing Impunity for the Killers of Sergei Magnitsky”, calling on Russian authorities “to close the posthumous trial against Mr Magnitsky.” Instead, the Russian officials went ahead with the posthumous case.
The PACE resolution calls for “targeted sanctions against individuals (visa bans and freezing accounts)” by Council of Europe member states in the case of Russia failing to address the recommendations contained in the resolution.
“It is clear from today’s decision that Russian authorities have immediately defied the PACE resolution and deserve sanctions. Moreover, it shows that the justice system in Russia has been bastardized to support high-level government corruption,” said a Hermitage Capital representative.
Last year, President Putin promoted judge of Tverskoi District Court Igor Alisov who issued to Sergei Magnitsky a guilty verdict in the first posthumous trial in Russian legal history.
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PACE Documents “Refusing Impunity for the Killers of Sergei Magnitsky”
PACE Resolution 1966 (2014)1: http://www.assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/X2H-Xref-ViewPDF.asp?FileID=20409&lang=en
“18. The Assembly resolves to follow closely the implementation of the above proposals. It recalls its Resolution 1597 (2007) and Recommendation 1824 (2007) on United Nations Security Council and European Union blacklists. It further resolves that if, within a reasonable period of time, the competent authorities have failed to make any or any adequate response to this resolution, the Assembly should recommend to member States of the Council of Europe to follow as a last resort the example of the United States in adopting targeted sanctions against individuals (visa bans and freezing of accounts), having first given those named individuals the opportunity to make appropriate representations in their defence.”
PACE Recommendation: http://www.assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/X2H-Xref-ViewPDF.asp?FileID=20410&lang=en
“1. The Parliamentary Assembly refers to its Resolution 1966 (2014) on refusing impunity for the killers of Sergei Magnitsky, and invites the Committee of Ministers to examine ways and means:
1.1. of improving international co-operation in investigating the “money trail” of the funds originating in the fraudulent tax reimbursements denounced by Mr Magnitsky; and, in particular,
1.2. of ensuring that the Russian Federation fully participates in these efforts and holds to account the perpetrators and beneficiaries both of the crime committed against Sergei Magnitsky and that denounced by him.”
PACE Report “Refusing Impunity for the Killers of Sergei Magnitsky”:http://www.assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/Xref-DocDetails-EN.asp?fileid=20084&wrqid=0&wrqref=&ref=1&lang=EN
