Special Features
“The Magnitsky Files” to be Screened at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Monaco Marking its European Premiere
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
Phone: +44 207 440 17 77
E-mail: info@lawandorderinrussia.org
Website: http://lawandorderinrussia.org
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/hvIuVI
Twitter: @KatieFisher__
Livejournal: http://hermitagecap.livejournal.com/
ICTJ In Focus June 2012 Issue 14
Worldwide Release of “S.O.S. — Siege on Syria”: A Short Film Highlighting the Atrocities in Syria and a Call to Action
Syrian artists are calling on the International Criminal Court to hold the Syrian Regime accountable for their crimes against humanity and demand an immediate stop to the murder of civilians, the bombing of hospitals, the rape of women, and the torture of prisoners which are all currently being perpetrated by Bashar al-Assad and his regime in Syria.
At a special evening for the International Criminal Court in The Hague, commemorating the farewell of the first Chief Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, and the welcome of his successor Fatou Bensouda, The Cinema for Peace Foundation, presented the first official screening of “S.O.S. – Siege on Syria”, a short film, which sheds light on the unbelievable atrocities being committed by the Assad regime in Syria. The film follows members of the local Arab community and supporters of the Syrian revolution as they assembled a flash mob in Detroit, Michigan to raise awareness of the ongoing violence in Syria; and aims to bring to attention to the Syrian uprising for freedom and dignity.
The film has already reached several members of the European Union and was screened for a select assembly of U.S. congressmen and the U.S. ambassador to Syria on June 22, 2012. Cinema for Peace is asking everybody to screen this film and distribute it in social media networks, so it can reach a worldwide audience. Since the film’s shooting, the number of Syrian martyrs has already doubled with nearly 20,000 Syrians massacred, many of which have been women and children. As well as targeting civilians with shelling, fighters have also moved in on the ground and brutally shot and stabbed peaceful civilians to death. In addition to the many thousands murdered, there are hundreds of thousands more who have been displaced. A Syrian activist and victim featured in the film declares, “Everyone that can say a word, and doesn’t say that word, the blood of the people dying is on their hands”
In response to this plea, Syrian artists and Cinema for Peace Foundation are releasing “S.O.S. – Siege on Syria” and calling for the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad and his regime; an urgent deliverance of mediators, emergency supplies and humanitarian aid to the afflicted civilian population, and an immediate stop to the violence and murder of innocent civilians.
Invisible Children have joined the charge, standing with Cinema for Peace Foundation in calling for an international unified voice demanding an end to the violence. “We are a generation who will not stand for the brutality against our brothers and sisters, wherever that may be. As a part of a global connectivity, there is a responsibility that flows from it.” The strength of a worldwide call can provoke change, and Cinema for Peace Foundation in partnership with Syrian artists and Invisible Children are appealing to the international community to be a part of bringing peace and justice to Syria by sharing “S.O.S.- Siege on Syria” as far and wide as possible and appealing for the freedom of the Syrian people.
Cinema for Peace Foundation
Friedrichstraße 113
D – 10117 Berlin
Phone: +49 – (0)30 76 77 525 – 22
Fax: +49 – (0)30 76 77 525 – 20
info@cinemaforpeace.com
www.cinemaforpeace.com
Notes From India: Anemic Women and Prenatal Care
By Emily Schneider
Special Contributor, Blog Entry #3
We’re visiting our third health center in Bihar, India and I am hot, dirty, and exhausted. We arrived in Patna at 5:00 a.m., after a twelve hour train ride from Delhi, and have been visiting health centers ever since. Right now, we’re at a Primary Health Center (PHC) in Patna. Primary Health Centers are larger than the Sub-Health Centers (SHC) but are spread farther apart throughout the districts. They should be open 24 hours and have doctors and nurses on hand at all times. Our guide informed us that this particular PHC served as the model for all others in the state of Bihar.
We are trying to see as many health centers, covering all economic levels, in as many different districts throughout the state as possible. Our job is to question the doctors and nurses about the care they’re providing and the supplies they have available. We are also supposed to thoroughly document everything we see with pictures. We’re trying to find out if the health centers in Bihar are complying with the established national guidelines. Previously, they were in violation of almost every regulation. For example, Bihar didn’t have enough health centers and the health centers they had established didn’t have enough medical equipment or supplies. Additionally, they weren’t open the requisite 24hours a day, and they were not clean and sanitary.
All of these problems leads to India’s alarmingly high maternal mortality rate. Human Rights Law Network even filed a public interest lawsuit to bring the substandard level of care to the attention of the Indian government and the public. The courts ordered a reform of the Bihar health centers a year ago. Now my team has been sent to see if there was any change following the court order or if the conditions remain the same.
One of the most prevalent problems that directly contributes to maternal mortality rates is anemia. Many studies note there is a prevalence of anemia throughout India and that it contributes to death during childbirth. It also helps to explain the very high maternal death rate in comparison to other countries. The percentage of maternal deaths caused by hemorrhage is also greater in India than the rest of the world. This can also be attributed to the high rate of anemia.
Anemic women are increasingly susceptible to communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis and malaria; both of which are associated with complications during and after pregnancy. According to the most recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), in India, it is estimated that 55% of women are anemic; some studies place the number of pregnant women who are anemic as high as 85%. The NFHS-3 survey also stated that in 2004, approximately 22,000 maternal deaths were directly related to anemia. However, the most troubling aspect of the survey is that the number of women suffering from anemia in India has steadily increased over the past ten years.
According to the new government guidelines, women should be provided with dietary supplements during the requisite four ante-natal care appointments. The implementation of this simple practice would be a big step forward in helping to reduce the occurrence of anemia in pregnant women. That is, if it actually ever happened. The problem is that ensuring that this practice does manage to be implemented is dependent on a number of things. First, all pregnant women should be officially registered in their district; second, they should be provided free ante-natal appointments that involve physical checkups, tests for anemia, vaccinations, and dietary supplements; and third, the facility must actually have the proper dietary supplements to provide them to the women.
The reality is that many women never register. Those who do register usually don’t receive any ante-natal care visits. Those few who do go for ante-natal care visits do not get proper physical exams and are hardly ever tested for anemia. Almost none of the women are actually given the dietary supplements to help them stay healthy and strong during pregnancy.
We asked the chief medical officer at the “model” health center to estimate how many mothers he sees with anemia. He told us he hardly ever treats pregnant anemic women and that anemia is a very rare condition in India. Hopefully, in our next few visits we will be able to uncover more information to determine who is correct. The doctor or the statistics from the NFHS-3 survey.
Emily Schneider is a third-year law student at Syracuse University College of Law. She will be contributing to Impunity Watch by blogging about her experiences in India, where she is spending her summer working as an intern.