I wish to say again I appreciate the advocacy of my colleague from Maryland and his steadfast efforts on behalf of human rights in Russia, Belarus, and other countries. Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his associate which is, in many ways, tantamount to a death sentence again, one of these blatant abuses of justice and an example of the corruption that exists at the highest level of government. I hope in his remarks perhaps my friend from Maryland would mention the latest in the last few days which was the affirmation of the incredible sentence on Mr. I note the presence of my colleague and lead sponsor of this important legislation. Sergei Magnitsky's torture and murder-let's call it what it really was-is an extreme example of a problem that is unfortunately all too common and widespread in Russia today: the flagrant violations of the rule of law and basic human rights committed by the Russian Government itself, along with its allies. In fact, he was placed in even worse conditions until, on November 16, 2009, having served 358 days in prison, Sergei Magnitsky died. He was denied basic medical care as his health worsened. He was forced to eat unclean food and water. He was sickened by what his government had done and he refused to surrender principle to brute power.Īs a result, he was transferred to increasingly more severe and more horrific prison conditions. Russian officials, especially from the Interior Ministry, pressured Magnitsky to deny what he had uncovered-to lie and to recant. Magnitsky was detained for 11 months without trial. The Russian Government in turn blamed the crime on Heritage Capital and threw Magnitsky in prison in 2008. What Sergei Magnitsky did was he uncovered a collection of Russian Government officials and criminals who were associated with the Russian Government officials who colluded to defraud the Russian state of $230 million. But he became an extraordinary champion of justice, fairness, and the rule of law in Russia where those principles, frankly, have lost meaning. He didn't spend his life as a human rights activist or an outspoken critic of the Russian Government. He was a tax attorney working for an international company called Hermitage Capital that had invested in Russia. I guess the first question many people will be asking is who was Sergei Magnitsky ? Who was this individual who has aroused such outrage and anger throughout the world? He was a tax attorney. financial institutions would be required to audit themselves to ensure that none of these individuals are able to bank excess funds and move money in the U.S. They would have their current visas revoked, their assets would be frozen that are under U.S. Second, the individuals on that list would become the target of an array of penalties, among them, ineligibility to receive a visa to travel. This legislation, as my colleague and friend Senator Cardin will describe, requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, to publish a list of each person whom our government has reason to believe was responsible for the detention, abuse, or death of Sergei Magnitsky participated in efforts to conceal the legal liability for these crimes committed those acts of fraud that Magnitsky uncovered is responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of human rights committed against individuals seeking to expose illegal activities in Russia or exercise other universally recognized human rights. It is pro the people who stand up for human rights and democracy in that country which, unfortunately, seems to be sadly deprived of. I wish to emphasize at the outset that some may characterize this legislation as anti-Russian. President, in a few minutes my colleague from Maryland, Senator Cardin, will be introducing a bill which I am a cosponsor of, along with a large bipartisan group of our colleagues. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. Video of Senators Cardin and McCain - Colloquy on Rule of Law in Russia - May 26, 2011
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