Stop the Untouchables. Justice for Sergei Magnitsky.

UN Official Slams Russia on Magnitsky Case

The Moscow Times

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture published a report Tuesday condemning the Russian government over the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

The report by Juan E. Mendez said the state should take responsibility for Magnitsky’s death in prison, since he was healthy before his incarceration.

“When an individual dies as a consequence of injuries sustained while in State custody, there is a presumption of State responsibility, particularly when the person was in good health at the time of his arrest,” the report said.

Magnitsky was arrested in 2008 on charges of tax evasion, after he began investigating Interior Ministry and tax service officials in an alleged fraud case. He spent 11 months in prison without trial and reportedly developed a number of serious illnesses, for which he was denied treatment. He died eight days before he was legally required to be released if he were not put on trial.

Western governments have harshly criticized Russia over the case, with some countries considering so-called “Magnitsky acts” barring entry to officials believed to have been involved in the lawyer’s death. Magnitsky’s former employer, Hermitage Capital, has conducted a lobby campaign to pressure the Russian government to investigate the case.