Special Features

Russian Government Facilitates Lobbying by Convicted Criminal Klyuev Against Magnitsky Sanctions at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Monaco

Press Release

8 July 2012 – Dmitry Klyuev, convicted in 2006 for a $1.6 billion attempted fraud, and lawyer Andrey Pavlov, who were shown to be central to $800 million of successive frauds against the Russian treasury uncovered by the late Sergei Magnitsky, both attended the OSCE parliamentary assembly in Monaco today in order to lobby against the Magnitsky sanctions. Their participation was facilitated by members of the official Russian delegation.

In order to gain access to the OSCE parliamentary assembly facilities, two members of the Russian delegation gave their badges and escorted Klyuev and Pavlov to the OSCE Convention Center at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The Russian officials helping Klyuev and Pavlov’s attendance at the OSCE assembly were Gleb Reshetnikov, secretary of the Russian delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (gleb@duma.gov.ru), and Ilya Kostunov, a deputy of the Russian Duma (http://www.duma.gov.ru/structure/deputies/131106/).

Gleb Reshetnikov (L) and Ilya Kostunov (R) helped Klyuev gain access to the OSCE parliamentary assembly.

“It is remarkable that Russian officials would advocate for convicted felon and his partner shown to have stolen $800 million from Russian people and involved in crimes that Sergei Magnitsky discovered for the exposure of which he was killed,” said a Hermitage representative.

Russian Duma deputy Ilya Kostunov who assisted Klyuev and Pavlov in Monaco is a former activist of Nashi youth movement, which is an organisation involved in attacks on Russian opposition figures and foreign diplomats. Most recently, in June 2012, Ilya Kostunov initiated an attack on Alexei Navalny, a prominent Russian blogger, over his anti-corruption work.

The details of the serial $800 million thefts and role played by Klyuev, Pavlov and his associates were revealed last month in “The Magnitsky Files,” an 18-minute movie shown in Washington by U.S. Senator John McChain and Freedom House David Kramer, and which is now available on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL9b5LP4Ubc)/.)  Over 280,000 Russians have watched it in the first week since its release.  The movie shows a pattern of joint trips by Russian government officials, Klyuev and Pavlov to Dubai, United Kingdom, and Cyprus after various crimes were committed.

Summarising the links between Russian government officials, Klyuev and his associates, U.S. Senator John McCain called on President Obama to proscribe the Klyuev group as a “transnational criminal organisation” and introduce targeted economic sanctions.

“Public information, much of it uncovered by Mr. Magnitsky himself before his arrest in Russia in 2008, suggests that the Klyuev Group has colluded with senior Russian officials to engage in bribery, fraud, embezzlement, company thefts, and other serious financial crimes…Activities of the Klyuev Group appear to put the U.S. and international financial systems at serious risk of abuse,” said Senator McCain (http://www.scribd.com/doc/98337177/Untitled).

“I write to you today to request that you begin a process to determine whether to designate and impose sanctions, under the Executive Order 13581, against a dangerous transnational criminal organization known as the “Klyuev Group,” said Senator McCain in the letter.

Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year old Russian lawyer who was investigating the money laundering by the KOCG, was falsely arrested, tortured and killed in police custody two and a half years ago. His killers have not been brought to justice in Russia.

The theatrics of swapping badges with the government officials for Klyuev and Pavlov to get access to the OSCE Parliamentary assembly was unnecessary. According to the communications director for OSCE PA Neil Simon:

“The annual session is open to the press and the public.”

 

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/

Press Contact for OSCE PA:

Neil Simon
Director of Communications
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
+45 60 10 83 80
neil@oscepa.dk
www.oscepa.org

“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

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