Press Release

12 June 2013 – Roman Anin, Russian journalist for an independentNovaya Gazeta, has won the prestigious international journalism award for his investigative reporting oа the high-level Russian corruption uncovered by Hermitage lawyer Sergei Magnitsky who was in retribution arrested andkilled in Russian police custody.

“The award to Roman Anin is a testament to his bravery and integrity in the fact of massive corruption in Russia and a tribute to the legacy of Sergei Magnitsky who gave his life for exposing the same crimes and standing up to the same principles and belief for the rule of law and accountability of government officials,” said Hermitage Capital representative.

The 2013 Knight International Journalism Award recognizes excellent reporting that makes a difference in the lives of people around the world, said the International Center for Journalists, making the announcement.

In 2007-2008, Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky uncovered how Russian officials and organised criminals stole $230 million from the Russian budget of the tax revenue paid by his client, Russian companies of the Hermitage Fund. After he reported and gave evidence of the crime, he himself was arrested on trumped-up charges, tortured to retract his testimony, and killed in the Russian Interior Ministry custody at the age of 37. Since his death, Russian authorities have exonerated all officials he named from any wrong-doing.

In 2011, Russian journalist for Novaya Gazeta, Roman Anin, began a series of explosive reports describing how the criminal conspiracy protected by government officials stole budget funds both before the $230 million theft uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky and after, and that these thefts continued even after Sergei Magnitsky’s death and their public exposure, using the same modus operandi. In an article called “Makhaon, Parfenion and He,” published on 28 September 2011, Roman Anin described links from the thefts to senior tax officials subsequently moved to senior positions with the Russian Defence Ministry (http://www.novayagazeta.ru/inquests/48714.html).

In an article published on 1 April 2012, called “VAT”, Roman Anin described how the same officials were involved in even more fraudulent VAT rebates, with the total amount of stolen funds reaching $800 million, and the role of Interior Ministry in abetting them(http://www.novayagazeta.ru/inquests/51924.html).

Roman Anin further uncovered how millions of dollars stolen by the corrupt criminal conspiracy exposed by Sergei Magnitsky were laundered via Russian banks and numerous European jurisdictions, including Austria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and others (http://www.novayagazeta.ru/inquests/53950.html).

In the article called “Beneficiaries” published on 13 August 2012,  RomanAnin wrote:

“This crime stopped to be an internal affairs for Russia at the momentwhen the first stolen dollar crossed the Russian border and appeared onaccounts of Western banks for legalisation.”(http://www.novayagazeta.ru/inquests/53950.html)

Roman Anin majored in journalism at Moscow State University (MSU) and graduated in 2010. After graduating, he studied at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Science as a Ph.D. candidate in global economics. In 2012, he received three of the most prestigious awards in Russian investigative journalism: the Artem Borovik award, the Youlian Semenov award and the Andrey Sakharov award (http://www.icfj.org/roman-anin).

The 2013 Knight International Journalism Award award is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation which advances transformational ideas that promote quality journalism following the belief that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged.

For further information, please see:

Law and Order in Russia

by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia — The Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, voted to approve bills that would ban promoting homosexual “propaganda” to minors and punish those who offend religious believers, on Tuesday.

Before the vote was to take place, hundreds of anti-gay and religious activists and gay-rights activists gathered outside the State Duma, across from the Red Square in Moscow to voice their concerns. Fighting erupted between those that supported the bills and those that did not. Eggs and urine were tossed between the groups, and eventually 20 people were detained by police.

The anti-gay bill, which was approved by the Duma by a unanimous vote of 436 to 0, will imposed fines to individuals who provide information about the LGBT community to minors or who hold gay pride rallies. An individual would be fined up to $156 and organizations would be fined up to $31,000. The bill would also apply to foreigners that come into Russia.

The anti-gay bill is part of a larger Russian effort to promote traditional Russian values as opposed to Western liberalism, as the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church view the latter as corrupting Russian youth and greatly enhancing the protests against Vladimir Putin’s presidency.

The bill was preliminarily approved in January; however legislators then altered the wording of “homosexual propaganda” to “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations.”

As the bill was passed by the Duma, it now needs to be passed by the Federation Council, which is the Russian Senate, and signed by the President. This process is considered a formality, however, and the bill is expected to become law by the end of June.

Hostility and violence towards LGBT communities is common in Russia, and human rights activists believe this bill will contribute to an even greater increase in these incidences.

“The draft law would only raise the level of intolerance in Russian society,” reported Human Rights Watch.

Yelena Mizulina, the head of the Russian State Duma’s Committee for Family, Women, and Children, however, believes that the law is a positive step to protect traditional family values. “[The bill prevents] the spreading of information aimed at forming nontraditional sexual attitudes among children, attractiveness of nontraditional sexual relations, or a distorted perception of social equality between the traditional and nontraditional sexual relations,” she stated.

The Duma also passed a bill Tuesday that would impose prison time on those found to be insulting religious believers. This bill would include prison terms of up to one year and fines of up to $9,000. The bill came to light after members of the punk rock band Pussy Riot sang a ballad against President Putin in a cathedral in Moscow last year.

“This is another step in the attack on the right to freely express your opinion, a right guaranteed by the constitution of the Russian Federation,” a researcher at Human Rights Watch opined.

For more information, please see:

Aljazeera – Russian legislators pass “gay propaganda ban” – 11 June 2013

BBC – Russian Duma passes law banning “gay propaganda” – 11 June 2013

Los Angeles Times – Russian lawmakers move to keep information on homosexuality from kids – 11 June 2013

The Moscow Times – Law on “Homosexual Propaganda” Set for Duma Approval – 11 June 2013

Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty – Russian Duma Passes Ban on “Homosexual Propaganda” – 11 June 2013

 

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch, Europe

SARAJEVO, Bosnia – On June 6, 2013, approximately 3000 protesters kept nearly 1500 lawmakers, government employees, and international bankers blocked inside Bosnia’s parliament building for fourteen hours. The protesters consisted primarily of students and young parents, who have been unable to get birth certificates or identification numbers for their babies since February 2013.

Dating back to the 1992-1995 war, ethnic divisions between Serbia and Bosnia heat the battle between a unified or divided country. Currently, Bosnia consists of two semi-autonomous mini-states, each with a president and parliamentary government. A joint parliament, government and a three-member presidency link the mini-states.

In early February 2013, an old law on identification numbers for Bosnian citizens lapsed. Disagreements among ethnic communities have delayed the creation of a new law, leaving undocumented babies born since the lapse. While Bosnian Serbs seek an identification system that reflects territorial agreements established after the war, Bosniaks and Croats seek a solution that unifies the country.

Recently, a baby in need of stem cell treatment in Germany could not leave Bosnia because she had no documentation. On June 5, young parents protested and trapped lawmakers inside parliament. Although the government reached an interim deal, protesters claimed that they would continue for as long as necessary to reach a long-term agreement. Every hour, more people joined the blockade. On June 6, thousands of protesters formed a ring around parliament, encouraged by protests in other Bosnian cities.

As parliament employees attempted to escape the building through windows, protesters shouted, “Get back to work!” before sending them back inside.

Tarik Celik said, “This is not just about the ID number. It is about their attitude toward us. It is about how unimportant we are to them as citizens.”

Additionally, parliament salaries angered protesters. Reports claim that lawmakers receive six times Bosnia’s average salary per month. However, poverty throughout the country has increased, and the unemployment rate hovers above twenty percent.

On the morning of June 7, police helped free the people trapped inside parliament, who decided to return after the weekend. Nevertheless, within hours, student protesters returned, and demanded improvements for impoverished citizens, rather than “ethnic bickering.”

“We just want to send a message to the politicians not to play with our future,” said protester Amar Nurkovic, “because their future is in our hands.”

Peter Sorensen, the head of the European Union mission in Bosnia, stated that such protests were “a clear demand on elected officials in Bosnia-Herzegovina at all levels to do what they have been elected to do — work in the interests of the citizens.”

As demonstrated in Sarajevo during a recent commission meeting, Bosnia and Serbia currently support each other on their path toward EU membership. For stability in the region, the Bosnian delegation emphasized a need for progress.

While Serbia appears to support EU membership for Bosnia, it appears that progress will be delayed until the government agrees to unify or divide the country. Only then can economic and social woes be fully addressed.

For further information, please see:

EuroNews – Parents in Bosnia in Birth Registrations Protest – 7 June 2013

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty – Bosnian Police Evacuate Parliament Besieged by Protesters – 7 June 2013

Reuters – Protesters Allow Out Bankers, Lawmakers Trapped in Bosnian Parliament – 7 June 2013

Westport News – Bosnian Lawmakers Take Early Weekend after Siege – 7 June 2013

Bloomberg Businessweek – Thousands Protest Lack of Bosnian Law on ID Numbers – 6 June 2013

InSerbia News – Serbia and BiH Support Each Other on EU Path – 5 June 2013

Press Release

5 June 2013 – Today, Russian authorities have announced they arere-applying to Interpol to seek a Red Notice to arrest William Browder in spite of the Interpol’s earlier decision rejecting Russian requests for him asillegitimate and politically motivated.

“The Russian authorities can’t seem to be able to take a hint, – said a Hermitage Capital representative. –  Officials in the Russian Interior Ministry are apparently more afraid of losing their jobs if they don’t act on Putin’s political order to persecute Mr Browder, than they are of losing any remaining credibility Russia has with international bodies.”

On 24 May 2013, Interpol’s Commission for the Control of Files, an independent body responsible for compliance with Interpol’s Constitution, considered Russian proceedings against William Browder and ruled that they were of “predominantly political nature.” The Interpol Commission recommended that all information in relation to Mr Browder should be deleted from Interpol systems (http://www.interpol.int/News-and-media/News-media-releases/2013/PR063).

On the same day, Interpol’s General Secretariat deleted all information in relation to Mr Browder and informed all member countries about its actions, and also made the information public (http://www.interpol.int/News-and-media/News-media-releases/2013/N20130528).

The Russian authorities, nevertheless, demonstrated complete defiance over Interpol’s decisions and rules.

On 25 May 2013, the day following the Interpol’s decision, the Russian Interior Ministry publicly stated that they will continue to seek Mr Browder’s arrest via Interpol upon completing various formalities with the Russian Prosecutor’s Office(http://ria.ru/incidents/20130525/939429919.html).

Today, it was announced that the Russian law enforcement authorities are going to Interpol again to request his arrest following the Russian Moscow City Court’s rejection of the appeal from Mr Browder’s lawyer who sought to recognise the in absentia arrest as unlawful and unjustified and breaching numerous legal provisions. (http://www.rapsinews.ru/moscourts_news/20130605/267674181.html). The Moscow court’s decision came a day after Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Russian Investigative Committee and Russia’s most senior law enforcement official, publicly stated his “solidarity” with the proceedings against Mr Browder organised by his colleagues in the Russian Interior Ministry (http://5-tv.ru/news/71223/).

William Browder is running a global campaign for justice for late Russian lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, who was tortured and killed in Russian police custody after exposing the $230 million theft, the largest publicly known case of fraudulent tax refund perpetrated by Russian officials and organized criminals. The campaign culminated last December with the adoption of Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act in the United States which imposes visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials responsible for the ill-treatment and death of Mr Magnitsky and the conspiracy he uncovered. On 12 April 2013, the US Government published a list of 16 Russian officials involved in the Magnitsky case. On the same day, the Russian Interior Ministry initiated a request for an in absentia arrest of William Browder.

William Browder is currently advocating for the adoption of Magnitsky sanctions in the EU similar to those adopted in the US. The renewed attack on Mr Browder by Russian authorities is aiming to block his ability to campaign across Europe.

“If Russian authorities continue in their non-compliance with Interpol’s Constitution and abuse Interpol’s systems for the purpose of political persecution, their access to Interpol databases must be suspended under the Interpol rules,” said a Hermitage Capital representative.

For further information, please see:

Law and Order in Russia

by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – A preliminary hearing was held in the trial of five men accused in the murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya on Monday.

The defendants were granted the right to a jury trial, as Russian law guarantees murder defendants the right to be tried by a jury, though most cases in Russia are decided by judges.

Anna Stavitskaya, the lawyer for Politkovskaya’s family, was pleased with the judge’s granting of a jury trial, stating, “From our point of view, a jury trial is the best option since it fully respects the adversarial principle between the sides.”

Politkovskaya, who was one of Russia’s most prominent investigative journalists, was shot to death in her apartment building on October 7, 2006. She had frequently criticized the Kremlin, and also accused the Russian military and pro-Moscow Chechen authorities of human rights abuses. At the time of her death, Politkovskaya worked for the newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

The case has caused an international stir and outraged human rights groups in Russia, and it has become a symbol of attempts to suffocate opposition of Vladimir Putin.

Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadrov, have stated that the murder was an outrageous act of violence that struck at the freedom of speech and required a thorough investigation.

“In my opinion murdering such a person certainly does much greater damage from the authorities’ point of view, authorities that she strongly criticized, than her publications ever did,” President Putin stated.

The five accused, Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, his three nephews Rustam, Ibragim and Dzhabrail Makhmudov, and a former Moscow police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, all participated in Monday’s hearing.

Ibragim and Dzhabrail Makhmudov and Khadzhikurbanov had already been acquitted of the murder in 2009, but that verdict was overturned by Russia’s supreme court.

Gaitukayev is believed to have organized the murder of Politkovskaya, while Rustam Makhmudov is believed to have been the actual gunman in the murder. The other two Makhmudov brothers are believed to have been accomplices to the murder.

Another former police officer, Dmitry Pavlyuchhenkov, was sentenced to eleven years in prison last year for supplying the murder weapon after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit the murder. Pavlyuchhenkov had implicated the current five defendants.

Currently, three of the defendants, Gaitukayev, Khadzhikurbanov, and Rustam Makhmudov, are being detained by Russian authorities, while Ibragim and Dzhabrail Makhmudov are restricted from traveling outside Russia.

The jurors are to be selected later this month on June 20^th, with the first public hearing to be held shortly afterwards.

For more information, please see:

The St. Petersburg Times – Murder Suspects Demand Jury Trial – 5 June 2013

BBC News – Politkovskaya Murder: Defendants to have Jury Trial – 4 June 2013

Al Jazeera – Russia Murder Suspects Back on Trial – 3 June 2013

The Independent – Anna Politkovskaya Murder Trial is Rerun Six Years After Fatal Shooting of Anti-Corruption Journalist – 3 June 2013

Impunity Watch – Former Russian Policeman Sentenced for the Murder of Journalist – 24 December 2012