Stop the Untouchables. Justice for Sergei Magnitsky.

“Magnitsky Law” as a universal tool?

EU Reporter

The rejection of the Duma’s Speaker to lead the delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg) made headlines: apparently Sergey Naryshkin didn’t like to hear the report on Russia, examining its fulfillment of international obligations during the last seven years, simply labeling it as ‘a Russo-phobic’.

This was largely interpreted as an incapability to withstand well-grounded criticism by international partners – the 46 parliaments of member-states who expect the Kremlin to honor its international obligations on democratic development, including respect for Human Rights.

From the moment of the alleged flawed legislative elections the authoritarian rule in Russia has been desperate to keep the grip on power at any cost, a traditional Soviet-style violation of individual human rights attempting to create an atmosphere of fear and insecurity.

The season in the Duma started with a scandalous precedent of the stripping of a mandate from one of the most vocal critics of Putin, Gennady Goudkov (left-wing) who became subject of financial investigation shortly after he publically called Putin to step down.

The persecution of genuine political opponents followed after the draconian measures initiated by the Kremlin to silence the civil society: restricting demonstrations, use of internet, foreign aid, dramatically raising fines for all kind of civil disobediences, re-introduction of criminal charges for slander, all incompatible with the constitution.