Posts Tagged ‘oireachtas’
Russia forced Ireland’s hand on Magnitsky case
It is rare the joint Oireachtas committee on foreign affairs and trade hits international headlines but that is just what happened in the last week. The normally sleepy committee made its way into the New York Times , the BBC and Russian media as it waded into a high stakes war being waged ever since Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer, died in a Russian jail after uncovering fraud among state officials.
The episode saw the committee consider and then back away from sanctioning Russian officials involved in the death. It has given a stark insight into the rough workings of Russian diplomacy and has pitted Irish families trying to adopt Russian children against international power politics.
The Oireachtas committee kicked off events when US businessman William Browder appeared before it in February describing what had led to the death of Magnitsky, who worked for his firm, Hermitage Capital.
After uncovering the theft by state officials of $230 million in taxes from the firm and testifying against them, Magnitsky was jailed and died a year later, in 2009. Russia’s own human rights council said he was denied medical treatment and was probably beaten to death. “It is my duty to his memory and his family to make sure that justice is done,” Browder told the committee.
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TDs and senators back down from sanctions on Russia over lawyer death
An Oireachtas Committee has backed down on proposed sanctions on Russian officials over the death of whistleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Russian jail four years ago.
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade has redrafted a motion that instead calls for the Irish government to convey to the Russian authorities its concern and request for reassurances that they will comply with human rights legislation in the Magnitsky case.
This follows a warning from the Russian ambassador to Ireland about sanctions which would potentially prevent Irish parents from adopting Russian children as Moscow authorities have already done to the US in response to Congress there passing the Magnitsky Act last year.
The US legislation sought to punish Russian officials suspected of being responsible for the lawyer’s death. In his letter to the Oireachtas committee, Ambassador Maxim Peshkov warned that the committee’s original approach would “not enrich bilateral Russian-Irish relations”.
He added that it could “have negative influence on the negotiations on the Adoption Agreement between Russia and Ireland being proceeded”.
Sergei Magnitsky had been working as an auditor in Moscow when he uncovered what he claimed was massive fraud by interior ministry officials and police involving some €176 million.
After reporting it to authorities, he was detained on suspicion of aiding tax evasion. He died in custody in November 2009 with his colleagues claiming the case against him was a fabrication.
In its toned-down motion released yesterday, the Oireachtas committee said that it had agreed to note that Magnitsky died in prison having “been held for 358 days at the Butyrka detention centre in Moscow”.
It also noted an inquiry by the Russian Human Rights Council which found that Magnitsky died as a result of beatings by prison guards and that charges of negligence against two prison doctors who refused him treatment for gall bladder disease and pancreatitis were dropped.
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Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade – Resolution on the case of Mr Sergei Magnitsky
At its meeting on 1 May 2013, it was agreed that the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade notes:
– that Mr. Sergei Magnitsky died in prison having been held for 358 days at the Butyrka detention centre in Moscow;
– that the independent inquiry by the Russian Human Rights Council found that he had died as a result of beatings by prison guards;
– the dropping of charges of causing death by negligence against two doctors at the prison by refusing Mr. Magnitsky treatment for gall bladder disease and pancreatitis;
– the work and recommendations of our European Parliament colleagues, Ms. Kristiina Ojuland MEP, Rapporteur for the Committee on Foreign Affairs on the Magnitsky case, and Ms. Barbara Lochbihler MEP, Chair of the Sub-committee on Human Rights;
– the European Parliament recommendation of 23 October 2012 to the Council;
– that the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, speaking at this Committee on 17 April, 2013, said as follows: “However, I can tell members that I did raise the case of Sergei Magnitsky at the Foreign Affairs Council and have argued that this is an issue that should remain on the agenda at the highest political level in the European Union’s relationship with Russia, including the summit with Russia, which takes place during every Presidency. The decision last month by the investigative committee of the Russian Federation to close the criminal investigation into his death is highly regrettable. I share the strongly-worded concerns which were expressed by Catherine Ashton on this issue and I call on the Russian authorities to reopen the investigation.”;
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Oireachtas committee backs down from sanctioning Russian officials
An Oireachtas committee has backed down from sanctioning Russian officials involved in the death of a lawyer there. A motion to list officials involved in the death of Sergei Magnitsky, freeze their assets and issue visa bans for them has been replaced by a motion which calls on the Government to convey the committee’s concern over the death.
This motion was unanimously passed by the Oireachtas committee on foreign affairs.
The Russian ambassador to Ireland wrote to the committee in March warning that any move to introduce a Magnitsky law could “have negative influence” on an adoption agreement between the two countries.
Pat Breen, Fine Gael TD and chairman of the committee, said after the meeting he “wouldn’t regard as blackmail” the failure by the committee to support sanctions. “We have reached a motion that fulfils our obligations on human rights,” he said.
Fianna Fáil Senator Jim Walsh who proposed the original motion said after the committee meeting he was “disappointed we didn’t have some sanctions”.
“But politics is about achieving compromise,” he added. The approved motion was proposed after Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan proposed an amendment to Mr Walsh’s motion removing the sanctions.
Several members of the committee had been contacted by people trying to adopt Russian children who were fearful the applications could be jeopardised. The Russian government should be “thoroughly ashamed” for “ this use of children”, Independent Senator David Norris told the committee. He had been contacted by one couple who had already adopted a Russian child and wanted to adopt a second child from Russia but were were concerned after reading about the ambassador’s letter. The motion approved by the committee was about “realpolitik”, he said afterwards. “You have to be realistic if you want to get things done,” he added.
The approved motion notes the Russian Human Rights Council’s findings that Mr Magnitsky “died as a result of beatings by prison guards” and the dropping of charges of negligence against two doctors. It calls on the Government to use the EU presidency to highlight its concern over the death.
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We might be a small country, but we can’t allow Russia to bully us over adoptions
THE Government should strongly resist Russian threats to scupper an adoption agreement between Ireland and Russia if we support sanctions against Russian officials connected with the death of a Moscow-based lawyer. The same goes for Russian warnings that trade links between Ireland and this increasingly mafia state could also be jeopardised.
The Russian authorities are trying to stop Ireland from using its current presidency of the Council of the European Union to push for the implementation of EU-wide sanctions against Russian officials suspected of being involved in the death of the whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky. The exploitation of orphaned Russian children as blackmailing bait shows how immoral the Putin regime is.
A capitulation to this kind of blackmail would amount to surrendering to a regime that pays little heed to democratic norms. Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has receded into a Stalinist-like dictatorship where human rights, freedom of expression, media plurality and political diversity have been severely eroded.
The background to this furore centres on a plucky Russian lawyer called Sergei Magnitsky. He ended up behind bars in 2008 after he uncovered what he claimed was systematic and large-scale corruption and fraud carried out by Russian officials and police officers. When Mr Magnitsky reported the theft he was arrested himself and accused of tax evasion.
Sergei Magnitsky died in a pretrial detention centre in Moscow in November 2009. The 37-year-old father of two had been held, without trial, for 358 days. According to his family and friends he died from injuries and medical problems sustained after repeated abuse and torture while in detention.
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Russian ‘blackmailing’ of Ireland ‘unacceptable’, says EU group leader
Russian “blackmailing”of Ireland over plans for a law sanctioning officials involved in the death of a lawyer there is “unacceptable” and should be raised at the EU-Russia summit, the head of a European Parliament political group has said.
The pressure being exerted by Russia to drop support for the law or face a ban on adoptions of Russian children “must be met by a solid and united EU stand”, said Guy Verhofstadt, head of the parliament’s liberal group and former Belgian prime minister. He called on the EU’s Council of Ministers, European Commission and high representative on foreign affairs to “clearly state their solidarity” with the Irish presidency in office. “Russian foreign policy once again is showing its ugly face,” he said.
The Oireachtas committee on foreign affairs will on Wednesday consider a motion by Fianna Fáil Senator Jim Walsh calling for Russian officials involved in the death of Sergei Magnitsky to be listed publicly, their assets frozen and visa bans issued for them. The committee postponed a vote on the issue last Wednesday because of an amendment by Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan, which dropped these sanctions. Committee chairman and Fine Gael TD Pat Breen delayed the vote by a week in the hope that consensus could be reached.
The Russian ambassador to Ireland, Maxim Reshkov, wrote to the committee in March warning that moves towards enacting such a law could “have negative influence on the negotiations on the adoption agreement between Russia and Ireland being proceeded”.
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‘Spectacular attack’ on Oireachtas committee over plan to sanction Russian officials
A “spectacular attack” has been launched on Irish democracy by Russia over attempts to get a law dropped which would sanction officials responsible for the death of a lawyer who uncovered corruption, a US businessman has warned.
Russia has warned the joint Oireachtas committee on foreign affairs and trade it could stop Irish adoptions of Russian children if it today supports the law, which has been introduced in the US, Canada and Italy, William Browder has said.
Mr Browder visited the committee in February and urged members to adopt the law, which sanctions Russian officials allegedly responsible for the death of his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, in 2009.
A letter to the committee in March by the Russian embassy in Dublin states a move towards enacting such a law “can have negative influence on the negotiations on the adoption agreement between Russia and Ireland being proceeded”.
An original motion by Fianna Fáil Senator Jim Walsh is to go before the committee today supporting a law which would list a number of individuals for asset freezes and visa bans. But an amendment is also to be proposed by Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan which drops references to such sanctions.
“If this goes ahead it would be a spectacular attack on Irish democracy,” Mr Browder told The Irish Times . “It would be a sad day for Irish democracy.”
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