JRL HOME - RSS - FB - Tw - Support

News that the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee approved legislation on 7 June which would impose sanctions on Russian officials allegedly connected to the death of corporate lawyer Sergey Magnitskiy in a Moscow remand centre in 2009 has prompted a mixed reaction from Russian public figures and senators. Activists expressed hope that the bill would benefit the human rights situation in Russia while an MP and senators disagreed whether the bill would have a negative impact on Russian-US relations. So far the law has only been approved at the committee stage and has yet to receive the vote of the full House.

Activists

Veteran human rights activist Lev Ponomarev, leader of the For Human Rights movement, told Interfax that he supports the decision by the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee to approve the "Magnitskiy bill".

"It is a concrete signal and I think that it will benefit Russia," Ponomarev said.

"Russian society demanded a response from the authorities. No-one responded to us. On the other hand, all of the circumstances of Magnitskiy's death indicated that he was killed. Like in Soviet times, now there is some impetus from the West," he said.

He added that the bill will have an effect. "We are well aware that many people love to visit the West, to keep money in the West, their children study in the West. If they misbehave, their accounts will be seized, they will be banned from travelling to the West. There will be something to think about," Ponomarev said.

For her part, leader of the In Defence of Khimki Forest movement Yevgeniya Chirikova (http://twitter.com/#!/4irikova) tweeted: "The Magnitskiy law will make it possible to close bank accounts and visas to the USA for violators of human rights. Including those guilty of beatings at (Cyrillic) hashtag Khimles (Khimki Forest), I hope."

Pundit

Pro-government pundit and a former One Russia (United Russia) MP Sergey Markov told Interfax that the approval of the bull will not lead to deterioration in relations between Moscow and Washington, but Russia will most likely respond with visa restrictions against the US officials who have pushed this bill through.

"Russia will give an appropriate response which, in principle, has already been sufficiently voiced. Most likely, restrictions will be introduced on the arrival of those people who are actively assisting the adoption of this law. To all appearances, these people will not be included in delegations and will not have the opportunity to do what they so love - teach us," Markov said.

He said that the bill looks like an attempt to put pressure on Russia. "It seems to me that the 'Magnitskiy law' is the most striking display of the USA's imperial ambitions which, using its economic, political and cultural influence, is trying to pressure other countries. This law is also a violation of the presumption of innocence; that is, it is a matter of sanctions against people whose guilt has not been proven," Markov said.

"The Magnitskiy law, despite the negative information, will not have a great impact on Russian-American relations which on the whole will develop along the path of gradual improvement. Since this is the will of the majority in the Russian and US societies and this is the will of Presidents Putin and Obama," he said.

MP

First deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs and One Russia MP Andrey Klimov told Ekho Moskvy news agency that he considers the approval of the Magnitskiy bill a tactical move in the run up to the US presidential election.

He said that he expected the event. "I regard it in the context of the American election; therefore this step is meant for the US audience," he explained.

Klimov said that he thinks that this will aggravate the atmosphere of political cooperation between the countries but will not lead to any serious diplomatic consequences. The same applies to the economy as the volume of trade between Russia and the USA is very small. Klimov added that, first of all, American businessmen and those politicians who want closer relations with Russia will lose out from this step.

Senators

Deputy head of the Federation Council International Affairs Committee Valeriy Shnyakin told Interfax that the approval of the bill will thrust Russian-American relations back into the past and there can be no mention of a reset in relations.

"We can compile our own list of US citizens who will be unwelcome in Russia and this list will be much more influential than the American 'Magnitskiy list'," Shnyakin said.

He added that "in any democratic state, a decision about the guilt or innocence of some people or other is taken by the relevant courts". "These decisions are in no way taken at the level of Congress and such actions are an attempt at pressure on Russian investigative and judicial agencies," Shnyakin said.

However, Mikhail Kapuro, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and Legal Judicial Issues said that the approval of the Magnitskiy bill will not affect Russian-American relations. He said that bilateral relations will continue to develop regardless of the political situation and that the approval of the Magnitskiy bill is exclusively a political not a legal issues.

Keywords: Russia, Assassinations, Beatings, Prison Deaths - U.S.-Russian Relations - Russian News - Russia

News that the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee approved legislation on 7 June which would impose sanctions on Russian officials allegedly connected to the death of corporate lawyer Sergey Magnitskiy in a Moscow remand centre in 2009 has prompted a mixed reaction from Russian public figures and senators. Activists expressed hope that the bill would benefit the human rights situation in Russia while an MP and senators disagreed whether the bill would have a negative impact on Russian-US relations. So far the law has only been approved at the committee stage and has yet to receive the vote of the full House.

Activists

Veteran human rights activist Lev Ponomarev, leader of the For Human Rights movement, told Interfax that he supports the decision by the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee to approve the "Magnitskiy bill".

"It is a concrete signal and I think that it will benefit Russia," Ponomarev said.

"Russian society demanded a response from the authorities. No-one responded to us. On the other hand, all of the circumstances of Magnitskiy's death indicated that he was killed. Like in Soviet times, now there is some impetus from the West," he said.

He added that the bill will have an effect. "We are well aware that many people love to visit the West, to keep money in the West, their children study in the West. If they misbehave, their accounts will be seized, they will be banned from travelling to the West. There will be something to think about," Ponomarev said.

For her part, leader of the In Defence of Khimki Forest movement Yevgeniya Chirikova (http://twitter.com/#!/4irikova) tweeted: "The Magnitskiy law will make it possible to close bank accounts and visas to the USA for violators of human rights. Including those guilty of beatings at (Cyrillic) hashtag Khimles (Khimki Forest), I hope."

Pundit

Pro-government pundit and a former One Russia (United Russia) MP Sergey Markov told Interfax that the approval of the bull will not lead to deterioration in relations between Moscow and Washington, but Russia will most likely respond with visa restrictions against the US officials who have pushed this bill through.

"Russia will give an appropriate response which, in principle, has already been sufficiently voiced. Most likely, restrictions will be introduced on the arrival of those people who are actively assisting the adoption of this law. To all appearances, these people will not be included in delegations and will not have the opportunity to do what they so love - teach us," Markov said.

He said that the bill looks like an attempt to put pressure on Russia. "It seems to me that the 'Magnitskiy law' is the most striking display of the USA's imperial ambitions which, using its economic, political and cultural influence, is trying to pressure other countries. This law is also a violation of the presumption of innocence; that is, it is a matter of sanctions against people whose guilt has not been proven," Markov said.

"The Magnitskiy law, despite the negative information, will not have a great impact on Russian-American relations which on the whole will develop along the path of gradual improvement. Since this is the will of the majority in the Russian and US societies and this is the will of Presidents Putin and Obama," he said.

MP

First deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs and One Russia MP Andrey Klimov told Ekho Moskvy news agency that he considers the approval of the Magnitskiy bill a tactical move in the run up to the US presidential election.

He said that he expected the event. "I regard it in the context of the American election; therefore this step is meant for the US audience," he explained.

Klimov said that he thinks that this will aggravate the atmosphere of political cooperation between the countries but will not lead to any serious diplomatic consequences. The same applies to the economy as the volume of trade between Russia and the USA is very small. Klimov added that, first of all, American businessmen and those politicians who want closer relations with Russia will lose out from this step.

Senators

Deputy head of the Federation Council International Affairs Committee Valeriy Shnyakin told Interfax that the approval of the bill will thrust Russian-American relations back into the past and there can be no mention of a reset in relations.

"We can compile our own list of US citizens who will be unwelcome in Russia and this list will be much more influential than the American 'Magnitskiy list'," Shnyakin said.

He added that "in any democratic state, a decision about the guilt or innocence of some people or other is taken by the relevant courts". "These decisions are in no way taken at the level of Congress and such actions are an attempt at pressure on Russian investigative and judicial agencies," Shnyakin said.

However, Mikhail Kapuro, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and Legal Judicial Issues said that the approval of the Magnitskiy bill will not affect Russian-American relations. He said that bilateral relations will continue to develop regardless of the political situation and that the approval of the Magnitskiy bill is exclusively a political not a legal issues.

JRL HOME