Russia blames EU for airline data fiasco
Russia and the EU are continuing to trade blame in a clash on air passenger data, as airlines count down days to deadline.
If nothing changes in the next 20 days, EU airlines will from 1 July be forced to hand over passengers’ personal data, such as credit card details, to Russian security services under a new law.
If they do not comply, Russia might ground the 53,000-or-so European flights which transit over Siberia to Asia each year.
But if they do comply, they will foul of EU data privacy rules.
The two sides are to hold expert-level meetings in the run-up to July after top-level talks at an EU-Russia summit last week went nowhere.
Meanwhile, Russia is blaming EU officials for the problem.
Kirill Ivanov, a spokesman for Russia’s EU ambassador, told EUobserver on Tuesday (11 June) that the European Commission fell asleep on the dossier.
He noted that Moscow published the full text of its new PNR (Passenger Name Record) law in September last year even if it did not send a special notice to Brussels. “These measures can hardly be qualified as unexpected … the EU had sufficient time to prepare for this document entering into force,” he said.
He pointed out Brussels also failed to give Moscow special notice of its recent law on unbundling energy firms or of its decision to launch an anti-trust case against Russian energy champion, Gazprom.
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Intrepid Investigative Reporters in Russia and Pakistan Win Premier International Journalism Award
A reporter investigating corruption in Russia and a seasoned Pakistani journalist known for courageous muckraking reports have won the 2013 Knight International Journalism Award, the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) announced. The award recognizes excellent reporting that makes a difference in the lives of people around the world.
Roman Anin, a reporter for Russia’s daily Novaya Gazeta, has demonstrated how Russian companies and officials have created a culture of corruption that reaches far beyond the country’s borders. Umar Cheema, an investigative reporter for Pakistan’s largest English-language daily, The News, has set a new standard for courage and quality journalism in a country where reporters are routinely attacked and murdered.
“These top-notch investigative journalists define bravery,” said ICFJ President Joyce Barnathan. “Their pursuit of the truth, despite serious threats, is inspiring. They fearlessly expose abuses and ultimately change policies.”
The award is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which funds ICFJ’s Knight International Journalism Fellowships Program. The fellows seed new ideas and services that deepen coverage, expand news delivery and engage citizens in the editorial process.
Four of Anin’s colleagues at Novaya Gazeta have been murdered in the last decade, but Anin remains undaunted. He continues to document high-level corruption through his work with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
His dogged reporting led to documents and data showing nearly $1 billion had vanished from Russia’s budget over a five-year period. It ended up in a maze of offshore accounts and shell companies throughout Europe, some of it traced to Russian officials and their relatives. Anin’s work sparked investigations in five countries and the European Union.
He has helped break stories in the Financial Times, the BBC and Sveriges Television (SVT), Sweden’s public broadcaster. SVT collaborated with Anin on a story that revealed corruption in a deal between Swedish telecom TeliaSonera and the daughter of Uzbek President Islam Karimov. The report led to the resignation of the telecom’s CEO.
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Russian officials: Banned by the US, on holiday in the EU
Russian officials banned from entering the US on accusations of corruption and conspiracy to murder are frequent visitors in EU countries, leaked information shows.
Pavel Karpov, a senior investigator in the Russian interior ministry, Artem Kuznetsov from the ministry’s economic crimes unit, and Olga Stepanova, a director in the Moscow tax authority, feature on a list of 18 persona non grata published by the US state department on 12 April.
All 18 were banned for their roles in an affair involving embezzlement of Russian tax money and the death of the man who exposed them – Russian accountant Sergei Magnitsky.
But Karpov, Kuznetsov and Stepanova stand out as leading protagonists.
Karpov and Kuznetsov organised the seizure of corporate seals and documents from Magnitsky’s former employer, British investment firm Hermitage Capital, used to expedite the fraud.
Kuznetsov also organised Magnitsky’s arrest and pre-trial detention, in which he died.
Meanwhile, Stepanova authorised a tax refund of $153 million, which flowed into the private bank of Dmitry Kluyev, a convicted criminal, who went on to launder the money in six EU jurisdictions and in Switzerland.
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Civil Society Leaders Urge EU to Pass Magnitsky Sanctions
On June 5, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group in the European Parliament held a seminar on Russian political prisoners. The event took place on the eve of the “Bolotnaya Square” trial, widely viewed as politically motivated. The participants stressed the urgent need for the EU to take a firm stand with regard to human rights abuses in Russia.
The situation regarding political prisoners in Russia has been deteriorating since 2011, when unprecedented mass protests against fraudulent elections were held all over the country. A group of prominent political leaders, policy experts, and human rights activists gathered to discuss the situation at the European Parliament. They included Lyudmila Alekseeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group; Bill Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital Management; Anna Karetnikova of the Council of the Human Rights Center “Memorial;” Mikhail Kasyanov, co-leader of the Republican Party of Russia—People’s Freedom Party and a former Russian prime minister; Vadim Klyuvgant, a lawyer for Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Nikolai Kavkazsky; Vladimir Kara-Murza, IMR senior policy advisor and a member of the Coordinating Council of the Russian opposition; and Pavel Khodorkovsky, president of the IMR. Leonidas Donskis, a member of European Parliament and the ALDE Group spokesman on human rights, moderated the seminar. The event was also dedicated to Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s upcoming 50th birthday on June 26.
In his opening remarks, Donskis noted that “the human rights saga in Europe is an interesting combination of Russian, Ukrainian, East European courage and Western organization.” After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the West had high hopes for Russia, as the era of Boris Yeltsin was very promising in terms of democratic development and political freedom. But today Russia is sliding back to the “obese of Soviet legislation,” and Europe is finding itself at a crossroads: should it lower its standards for countries that play a crucial role in international trade, like China and Russia, or should it continue to apply universal standards of human rights and dignity? In Donskis’ opinion, if the standards are lowered, it will be a historic failure for Europe and a betrayal of great minds such as Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Andrei Sakharov, who shaped the entire discourse of human rights. The EU legislator also stressed that Russian political prisoners exist, calling Mikhail Khodorkovsky a symbolic figure in this group, and suggesting that he stopped being just a Russian political prisoner and became a European political prisoner. “As long as corruption exists as an international phenomenon, every fighter against corruption or every fighter for human rights becomes an international figure… These people fight for Europe,” Donskis observed.
Mikhail Kasyanov said there are thousands of cases of human rights abuses in Russia, and about one-third of appeals to the European Court of Human Rights are coming from Russia. But the public is largely unaware of this situation, because “there is a taboo” on discussing it. Kasyanov reminded the audience that Russia is a member of the Council of Europe, and therefore needs to abide by its obligations; Russia has signed up the European Convention on Human Rights, but is not fulfilling its provisions. The former Russian prime minister added that in the case of Mikhail Khodorkovksy and Platon Lebedev, reputable Russian lawyers and independent international experts have been clear that the evidence was fabricated, and that these two people should therefore be released. Kasyanov also recalled the case of Sergei Magnitsky and the sanctions that were imposed by the U.S. against officials involved in his death, as well as against other human rights abusers. He called for similar measures to be undertaken by the EU, emphasizing that they do not target Russia, but rather deprive criminals and human rights abusers of privileges.
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Death of Russian Alexander Perepilichnyy ‘not suspicious’
The death of Russian businessman linked as a witness to a high-profile corruption scandal is not suspicious, according to Surrey Police.
Alexander Perepilichnyy, 44, collapsed and died in the road near his home in Weybridge, Surrey, on the evening of 10 November.
His death was initially treated as unexplained but police have now said there were no suspicious circumstances.
Mr Perepilichnyy is believed to have been running before he collapsed.
Surrey Police said it had passed details of his death to the coroner.
‘Sergei Magnitsky affair’
Det Ch Insp Ian Pollard said: “I am satisfied that following extensive enquiries, including a post mortem examination carried out by a Home Office pathologist and a full and detailed range of toxicology tests, there is no evidence to suggest that there was any third party involvement in Mr Perepilichnyy’s death.”
“This was a tragic and sudden death which attracted intense media speculation. Mr Perepilichnyy’s family has had to endure this media attention at the same time as coping with the loss of a loved one, and our thoughts remain with them at this time.”
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MEPs threaten to block visa-free travel for Russian officials
Senior members of the European parliament are threatening to block a measure allowing some Russian civil servants visa-free travel to the EU unless the union in turn blacklists Russian officials linked to human-rights abuses.
On Tuesday 48 MEPs signed an open letter to demand that Brussels implement its own version of the US “Magnitsky list”, signed into law in December by President Barack Obama, which has sent US-Russia relations to their worst point in years.
The ban could be implemented only if the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, formally made it a condition of accepting visa-free travel for Russian civil servants, something the Kremlin has long sought from Brussels. So far the commission is “considering” such a condition, according to someone familiar with the situation, but could be forced to impose it if parliament had the votes to block the visa-free regime.
“Of course, if parliament makes it a condition for its consent, then at the end of the day we will need parliament on board,” the person said.
However, the commission appears to be preparing a compromise that stops short of the parliamentarians’ demands, according to an official in Brussels. Instead of a strict travel ban on certain Russian officials, it would consider restricting their access to the visa waiver.
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EU considers visa-ban-lite on Russian officials
The European Commission is considering a ban on visa-free travel for Russian officials linked to the alleged murder of Sergei Magnitsky.
Under the terms of a visa facilitation deal currently being discussed by Brussels and Moscow, Russian officials, who carry so called “service” passports, will no longer have to apply for visas to enter the EU’s borderless Schengen zone.
The perk is due to cover dozens of people accused of involvement in a 2008 plot to embezzle millions of euros from the Russian treasury and to kill the man who found them out – Magnitsky, a 37-year-old accountant and father of two.
US authorities found the evidence against them compelling enough to ban them from visiting the states altogether.
In Brussels, MEPs have called for a similar EU travel ban.
But Russia says they are innocent, while the European External Action Service is happy to let Moscow treat the case as an internal matter.
For their part, a group of 48 euro deputies rebelled against the situation on Tuesday (4 June).
The parliamentarians – which include senior figures from major political groups, such as German centre-right MEP Elmar Brok and Belgian Liberal Guy Verhofstadt – said in a letter to EU countries’ foreign ministers that parliament will veto the visa facilitation deal unless diplomats act.
“Under current circumstances we will be unable to support any visa facilitation agreements with Russia and will advocate the parliament to refuse its consent, unless the [EU] Council adopts an EU ‘Magnitsky Law’,” they said, by reference to the US legal ban.
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Russia, E.U. tussle over ‘Magnitsky list’ visa restrictions
Russian and European Union officials meeting at a summit Tuesday discussed liberalizing visa rules for many Russians, an issue that brought objections from politicians concerned about human rights abuses.
Russia wants 15,000 government employees who have official passports to be given the right to enter Europe without visas, but some members of the European Parliament say that would give human rights violators free entry as well. On Tuesday, as the summit was taking place in Yekaterinburg, nearly 50 parliament members sent a letter to E.U. foreign and interior ministers saying they would oppose the agreement unless it came with a list of excluded officials.
The letter was in support of a European version of the U.S. Magnitsky Act, which imposes visa sanctions on Russians associated with the death of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in jail after he accused police and tax officials of a $230 million tax fraud.
In a vote last October, the European Parliament urged E.U. countries to adopt their own “Magnitsky lists,” which none has done so far. Russia has made it clear such actions would come with retaliation. After the U.S. law was passed, Russia banned American adoptions of Russian orphans.
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Interview: Browder Case Highlights Need To Prevent Abuse Of Interpol
In late May, Interpol rejected a request from Moscow to track the movements of American investor Bill Browder, who has been actively seeking an investigation into the 2009 death while in custody of his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky. Russian authorities have accused Browder of tax evasion and attempting to illegally acquire shares in the natural gas monopoly, Gazprom.
RFE/RL correspondent Robert Coalson spoke with Alex Tinsley, a law reform officer at the London-based nongovernmental organization Fair Trials International, about the abuse of Interpol’s mechanisms for political purposes by Russia and other countries and about what needs to be done.
RFE/RL: What is the significance of Interpol’s decision in the Browder case?
Alex Tinsley: What happened in the Browder case is that Russia put out a request seeking to use Interpol’s channels to keep tabs on Mr. Browder’s movements, and Interpol swiftly refused to allow Russia to use its channels in that way. It has been portrayed as a snub to Russia, but it was very much to be expected.
This is an incredibly well-publicized case, and it is not particularly significant that they actually stopped Interpol’s channels being used to pursue Mr. Browder. What is more worrying is the fact that swift action hasn’t been taken in the same way in other cases of political opponents who have been pursued through Interpol’s channels.
RFE/RL: Before we move on to those cases, can you tell us more about what a red notice is and what are its consequences?
Tinsley: A red notice is an alert which lets law-enforcement agencies all around the world know that a particular person is sought by a particular country. It is published by Interpol at that country’s request, and what happens is that when a person who is subject to an Interpol red notice is encountered at an airport or other forms of police checks, they are very likely to be arrested, because lots of countries will automatically arrest someone who is subject to a red notice. And then they will potentially spend time in detention, often for several months at the expense of their health while the question is decided whether they can be extradited or not.
But there are also lots of other effects — there is a whole catalog of human impact that comes with a red notice. It can affect your ability to obtain credit, to keep professional licenses, open bank accounts. And people lose their jobs. People who need to travel and who need visas will find their visas being revoked and will not be able to travel. So it can really have some serious impact. It has been said that unlike a prosecution, there is no swift end to it. It just persecutes consistently over time.
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To learn more about what happened to Sergei Magnitsky please read below
- Sergei Magnitsky
- Why was Sergei Magnitsky arrested?
- Sergei Magnitsky’s torture and death in prison
- President’s investigation sabotaged and going nowhere
- The corrupt officers attempt to arrest 8 lawyers
- Past crimes committed by the same corrupt officers
- Petitions requesting a real investigation into Magnitsky's death
- Worldwide reaction, calls to punish those responsible for corruption and murder
- Complaints against Lt.Col. Kuznetsov
- Complaints against Major Karpov
- Cover up
- Press about Magnitsky
- Bloggers about Magnitsky
- Corrupt officers:
- Sign petition
- Citizen investigator
- Join Justice for Magnitsky group on Facebook
- Contact us
- Sergei Magnitsky
