Brussels, 12/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - The ALDE Group in the European Parliament began a procedure in the European Parliament seeking to establish a common EU list of officials responsible for the unexplained death of Sergei Magnitsky in November 2009, the subsequent judicial cover-up and the on-going and continuing harassment of his mother and widow. The proposal is to impose and implement an EU-wide visa ban on these officials and to freeze any financial assets they, or their immediate family, may hold inside the European Union.
“The arrest and subsequent death in custody of Sergei Magnitsky represents a well-documented and substantial case of disrespect for fundamental human rights in Russia”, said Kristiina Ojuland, ALDE spokesperson for relations with Russia. “Russia must conduct a credible and independent investigation encompassing all aspects of this tragic case”, added ALDE leader Guy Verhofstadt, calling for a “firm, robust and comprehensive EU policy towards Russia …including sanctions and restrictive measures when needed”.
The United States State Department has already banned some 60 Russian officials involved in the case from entering the US. Magnitsky accused high-ranking officials in the Russian Interior Ministry of using false tax documents to steal billions of roubles. He was then accused of tax evasion and remanded in custody in 2008 until his death at the age of 37 in November 2009. A private investigation has claimed that he had been beaten and had been unable to follow treatment for pancreatitis. (CG/transl.rt)