Magnitsky Act

2017-05-11T05:13:37Z

Mgdupont: Corrected spelling of bludgeoned (was bludgened)

{{Infobox U.S. legislation
| name = Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012
| fullname = An Act To authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to products of the Russian Federation and Moldova and to require reports on the compliance of the Russian Federation with its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization, and for other purposes.
| acronym =
| nickname = Magnitsky Act
| enacted by = 112th
| effective date =
| public law url =
| cite public law = {{USPL|112|208}}
| cite statutes at large = {{USStat|126|1496}}
| acts amended =
| acts repealed =
| title amended = 
| sections created = 
| sections amended =
| leghisturl =
| introducedin = House
| introducedbill = "Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal Act of 2012" ({{USBill|112|HR|6156}})
| introducedby = [[Dave Camp]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]-[[Michigan|MI]])
| introduceddate = July 19, 2012
| committees = [[United States House Committee on Ways and Means|House Ways and Means]]
| passedbody1 = House
| passeddate1 = November 16, 2012
| passedvote1 = [http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2012/roll608.xml 365–43]
| passedbody2 = Senate
| passedas2 = 
| passeddate2 = December 6, 2012
| passedvote2 = [http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00223 92–4]
| signedpresident = [[Barack Obama]]
| signeddate = December 14, 2012
| amendments =
| SCOTUS cases =
}}

The '''Magnitsky Act''', formally known as the '''Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012''', is a bipartisan bill passed by the [[U.S. Congress]] and President [[Barack Obama|Obama]] in November–December 2012, intending to punish Russian officials responsible for the death of Russian lawyer [[Sergei Magnitsky]] in a Moscow prison in 2009.

== Background ==

In 2009, Russian lawyer and auditor Sergei Magnitsky died in a Moscow prison after investigating fraud involving Russian tax officials. While in prison, Magnitsky developed gall stones, pancreatitis and calculous cholecystitis and was refused medical treatment for months. Finally, after almost a year of imprisonment and on the verge of death, Magnitsky was transferred to a Moscow hopsital. There he was not greeted by a doctor but instead a number of Russian OMON who bludgeoned him to death.<ref name=Bbc2012-12-07>
{{cite news
| url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20626960
| title = Q&A: The Magnitsky affair
| publisher = BBC News
| author =
| date = 2012-12-07
| page =
| accessdate = 2013-01-24

| archivedate = 2013-01-23
| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fworld-europe-20626960&date=2013-01-23
| deadurl = no
| quote =
}}
</ref><ref name=PerthNow2012-12-27>
{{cite news
| url = http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/world/russia-puts-dead-lawyer-magnitsky-on-trial/story-fnd14032-1226544326077
| title = Russia puts dead lawyer Sergei Magnitsky on trial
| publisher = [[Perth Now]]
| author =
| date = 2012-12-27
| page =
| accessdate = 2013-01-23
| archivedate = 2013-01-23
| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.perthnow.com.au%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Frussia-puts-dead-lawyer-magnitsky-on-trial%2Fstory-fnd14032-1226544326077&date=2013-01-23
| deadurl = no
| quote =
}}
</ref>

==Law==
In June 2012, the [[United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs]] reported to the House a bill called the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (H.R. 4405).<ref>"[http://archives.republicans.foreignaffairs.house.gov/news/story/?2401 "Russia Human Rights Legislation Passes Foreign Affairs Committee]" [committee press release]. June 07, 2012. Retrieved 2015-09-19.</ref> The main intention of the law was to punish Russian officials who were thought to be responsible for the death of Sergei Magnitsky by prohibiting their entrance to the United States and their use of its banking system.<ref name=WP2012/> The legislation was taken up by a [[United States Senate|Senate]] panel the next week, sponsored by Senator [[Ben Cardin]], and cited in a broader review of the mounting tensions in the international relationship.<ref>[[Peter Baker (author)|Baker, Peter]], [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/world/europe/putins-return-brings-rapid-chill-to-us-russia-ties.html?hp "Syria Crisis and Putin’s Return Chill U.S. Ties With Russia"], ''The New York Times'', June 13, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-13.</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Belton |first=Catherine |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e2bcc8b6-bfac-11e1-8bf2-00144feabdc0.html#axzz22XRZQJ9p |title=‘Magnitsky law’ makes progress in Senate |publisher=Ft.com |date=2012-06-26 |accessdate=2012-12-18}}</ref>

In November 2012, provisions of the Magnitsky bill were attached to a House bill (H.R. 6156) normalizing trade with Russia (i.e. repealing the [[Jackson–Vanik amendment]]) and [[Moldova]].<ref name=NYT111612>{{cite news|title=House Passes Russia Trade Bill With Eye on Rights Abuses|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/17/world/americas/house-votes-to-increase-trade-with-russia.html|accessdate=November 17, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 16, 2012|author=Jeremy W. Peters}}</ref> On December 6, 2012, the U.S. Senate passed the House version of the law.<ref name=WP2012>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/us-passes-magnitsky-bill-aimed-at-russia/2012/12/06/262a5bba-3fd5-11e2-bca3-aadc9b7e29c5_story.html|title=Russia fumes as U.S. Senate passes Magnitsky law aimed at human rights|date=December 6, 2012|accessdate=11 December 2012|work=The Washington Post|authors= Kathy Lally and Will Englund}}</ref> The law was signed by President [[Barack Obama]] on December 14, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/12/14/statement-press-secretary-hr-6156 |title=Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 6156 |publisher=Whitehouse.gov |date=2012-12-14 |accessdate=2012-12-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_12_15/Russia-US-Normalization-fraught-with-conflict/|title=Russia-US: Normalization fraught with conflictill|work=The Moscow Times|publisher=The Voice of Russia|author=Andrey Fedyashin|date=December 15, 2012|accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Obama signs Magnitsky Act linked with Jackson-Vanik Amendment termination|url=http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=383015|publisher=Interfax|date=14 December 2012|accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Obama Signs Magnitsky Bill|url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/obama-signs-magnitsky-bill/473144.html|work=Reuters|publisher=The Moscow Times|accessdate=26 December 2012|date=17 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ifTJR_NiuSC0kkGDgBkKJjDDYSqQ?docId=CNG.1a7e217111e4906ef1b6b3e54e79e1b0.141 |title=Obama signs Russia rights law despite Putin fury |publisher=AFP |date= |accessdate=2012-12-14}}</ref>

==Individuals affected==
The Obama administration made public a list of 18 individuals affected by the Act in April 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Magnitsky Sanctions Listings|url=http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20130412.aspx|publisher=US Department of the Treasury|date=April 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Factbox: Who's who on the U.S. Magnitsky list|url=https://news.yahoo.com/factbox-whos-u-magnitsky-list-220046497.html|newspaper=Yahoo News|date=April 12, 2013|agency=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Magnitsky List release: severe blow on Moscow-US ties|date=12 April 2013|work=[[Voice of Russia]]|url=http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_04_12/Magnitsky-List-release-severe-blow-on-Moscow-US-ties/}}</ref> The people included on the list are:
{{div col|2}}
*Artyom Kuznetsov, a tax investigator for the Moscow division of the [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Russia)|Ministry of Internal Affairs]]
*Pavel Karpov, a senior investigator for the Moscow division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
*Oleg F. Silchenko, a senior investigator for the Ministry of Internal Affairs
*Olga Stepanova, head of Moscow Tax Office No. 28
*Yelena Stashina, [[Tverskoy District|Tverskoy]] [[Judiciary of Russia#District courts|District Court]] judge who prolonged Magnitsky's detention
*Andrey Pechegin, deputy head of the investigation supervision division of the general prosecutor's office
*Aleksey Droganov
*Yelena Khimina
*Dmitriy Komnov
*Aleksey Krivoruchko, Tverskoy District Court judge
*Oleg Logunov
*Sergei G. Podoprigorov, Tverskoy District Court judge
*Ivan Pavlovitch Prokopenko
*Dmitri M. Tolchinskiy
*Svetlana Ukhnalyova
*Natalya V. Vinogradova
*Kazbek Dukuzov, Chechen acquitted of the murder of [[Paul Klebnikov]]
*Lecha Bogatyrov, implicated by Austrian authorities as the murderer of [[Umar Israilov]]
{{div col end}}

==Russian government reaction==
In response to adoption of the Magnitsky Act, the Russian government [[Dima Yakovlev Law|denied Americans adoption of Russian children]], issued a list of US officials prohibited from entering Russia, and posthumously convicted Magnitsky as guilty.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dead Russian lawyer Magnitsky found guilty|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/dead-russian-lawyer-magnitsky-found-guilty|publisher=AP|accessdate=11 July 2013}}</ref> In addition, the Russian government reportedly lobbied against the legislation acting through a public relations company led by [[Kenneth Duberstein]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Adam Kredo |url=http://freebeacon.com/bank-of-putin/ |title=BANK OF PUTIN. Goldman Sachs lobbying against human rights legislation |publisher=Freebeacon.com |date=2012-07-19 |accessdate=2012-12-18}}</ref><ref>[http://grani.ru/opinion/abarinov/m.199413.html Unlawful Arrest] by Vladimir Abarinov</ref>

=== [[Dima Yakovlev Law|Ban on U.S. adoption of Russian children]] ===
On December 19, 2012, the [[State Duma]] voted 400 to 4 to ban the [[international adoption]] of Russian children into the United States. The bill was unofficially named after Dmitri Yakovlev (Chase Harrison), a Russian toddler who died in 2008 of [[heat stroke]] after neglect from his adoptive American father.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/world/europe/russia-votes-to-ban-all-adoptions-by-americans.html|title=Russia Vote Favors Ban on Adoptions by Americans|first=David M.|last=Herszenhorn|date=2012-12-19|accessdate=2012-12-20|publisher=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>Tom Jackman, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/toddlers-tragic-death-in-herndon-in-overheated-car-continues-as-political-issue-in-russia-four-years-later/2012/12/12/c6a6c9c6-43e4-11e2-9648-a2c323a991d6_blog.html Toddler’s tragic death in Herndon, in overheated car, continues as political issue in Russia four years later.] ''Washington Post'', 12/12/2012</ref> Other recent developments include the proposition of a law to prevent US citizens from working with political [[Non-governmental organization|NGOs]] in Russia and a proposition of a law, recently abandoned, preventing any foreigner from speaking on state television if they discredited the state.<ref>{{cite web|author=J.Y. |url=http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2013/01/russian-politics?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/thekremlinsnewantiamericanism |title=Russian politics: The Kremlin's new Anti-Americanism |publisher=The Economist |date=2013-01-30 |accessdate=2013-04-14}}</ref>

=== Banning some U.S. officials from Russia ===
{{main|Guantanamo list}}
On April 13, 2013, Russia released a list naming 18 Americans banned from entering the Russian Federation over their alleged human rights violations, as a direct response to the Magnitsky list.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|author=RT News |url=http://rt.com/news/anti-magnitsky-list-russia-799/ |title=Russia strikes back with Magnitsky list response|publisher=[[RT News]] |date=2013-04-13 |accessdate=2013-04-13}}</ref> The people banned from Russia are listed below:

US officials involved in legalizing [[enhanced interrogation techniques|torture]] and indefinite detention of prisoners:
*[[David Addington]], Chief of Staff to Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] (2005–2009)
*[[John Yoo]], Assistant US Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice (2001–2003)
*[[Geoffrey D. Miller]], retired US Army Major General, commandant of [[Joint Task Force Guantanamo]] (JTF-GTMO), the organization that runs the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]]s (2002–2003)
*Jeffrey Harbeson, US Navy officer, commandant of JTF-GTMO (2010–2012)

The Russian lawmakers also banned several U.S. officials involved in the prosecution and trial of Russian arms smuggler [[Viktor Bout]] and drug smuggler Konstantin Yaroshenko, both serving prison time in the United States:<ref>{{cite web|author=Englund, Will |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russia-bans-american-officials-in-retaliatory-move/2013/04/13/9de797ae-a429-11e2-9c03-6952ff305f35_story.html |title=Russia retaliates against U.S., bans American officials |publisher=The Washington Post |date=April 13, 2013 |accessdate=2013-04-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Loiko |first=Sergei L. |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-18-americans-barred-from-russia-in-titfortat-sanctions-20130413,0,2431471.story |title=18 Americans barred from Russia in tit-for-tat sanctions |publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=April 13, 2013 |accessdate=2013-04-14}}</ref>
*[[Jed Rakoff]], Senior US District Judge for the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]]
*[[Preet Bharara]], US Attorney for the Southern District of New York
*[[Michael J. Garcia]], former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York
*Brendan R. McGuire, Assistant US Attorney
*Anjan S. Sahni, Assistant US Attorney
*Christian R. Everdell, Assistant US Attorney
*Jenna Minicucci Dabbs, Assistant US Attorney
*Christopher L. Lavigne, Assistant US Attorney
*Michael Max Rosensaft, Assistant US Attorney
*Louis J. Milione, Special Agent, US [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] (DEA)
*Sam Gaye, Senior Special Agent, US DEA
*Robert F. Zachariasiewicz, Special Agent, US DEA
*Derek S. Odney, Special Agent, US DEA
*Gregory A. Coleman, Special Agent, US [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

==Reception==
{{incomplete|date=January 2013}}
Australian expatriate jurist [[Geoffrey Robertson]], who is representing some of the Magnitsky campaigners, has described the Act as "one of the most important new developments in human rights". He says it provides "a way of getting at the Auschwitz train drivers, the [[apparatchik]]s, the people who make a little bit of money from human rights abuses and generally keep under the radar."<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.humanrights.gov.au/about/media/news/2012/135_12.html|title='International human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson speaks on fate of Assange'|date=2012-12-18|publisher=Australian Human Rights Commission}}</ref>

[[State Duma]] deputy Yevgeny Fedorov argued that the real purpose of the Magnitsky bill was to manipulate key figures in big business and government, with the aim of pro-American policy in the [[Russian Federation]].<ref>[http://tv.russia.ru/video/diskurs_13815/ Yevgeny Fedorov: Magnitsky Act – manipulation] // RUSSIA.RU</ref>

The Ministry of Internal Affairs Directorate for Special Affairs in the U.K. stated that it is aware of those on the list. The U.K. bans travel of those on the list under existing legislation which prohibits entry for those implicated in cases of human rights violations.<ref name=PRU7913>{{cite web|title=Will Britain sing America's anti-Russian tunes?|url=http://english.pravda.ru/russia/politics/09-07-2013/125073-britain_russia-0/|publisher=Pravda.ru|accessdate=July 14, 2013|date=July 7, 2013}}</ref>

The ''[[World Socialist Web Site]]'' condemned the United States for only invoking human rights as a cover for [[realpolitik]], stating that Washington had supported "far greater crimes, [such] as when Boris Yeltsin in 1993 ordered [[1993 Russian constitutional crisis|bombardment]] of the [[White House (Moscow)|Russian White House]], the seat of the country’s parliament, killing over 1,000 people".<ref>{{cite web|title=Moscow calls Obama's human rights bluff|url=http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/04/16/pers-a16.html|work=[[World Socialist Web Site]]|publisher=International Committee of the Fourth International|accessdate=16 April 2013}}</ref>

In March 2015, the parliament of Canada passed an initial motion towards passing such a law.<ref>“[http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/all-parties-signal-support-for-magnitsky-law-to-sanction-russian-officials/article23617841/ All parties signal support for Magnitsky law to sanction Russian officials]” in the ''Globe and Mail'', 2015-03-25.</ref>

==January 2017 blacklisting==

On January 9, 2017, under the Magnitsky Act, the [[United States Department of the Treasury|United States Treasury]]'s [[Office of Foreign Assets Control]] updated its Specially Designated Nationals List and blacklisted [[Alexander Bastrykin|Aleksandr I. Bastrykin]], [[Andrey Lugovoy|Andrei K. Lugovoi]], [[Dmitry Kovtun|Dmitri V. Kovtun]], Stanislav Gordievsky, and Gennady Plaksin, which froze any of their assets held by American financial institutions or transactions with those institutions and banned their travelling to the United States.<ref>{{cite news | last = Landler | first = Mark | author-link = Mark Landler | title = U.S. to Blacklist 5 Russians, a Close Putin Aide Among Them | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/09/us/politics/russian-sanctions-obama-administration.html?_r=0 | work = New York Times | date = January 9, 2017 | accessdate = January 9, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Magnitsky-related Designations; Counter Terrorism Designations 1/9/2017, Office of Foreign Assests Control: Specially Designated Nationals List Update | url = https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20170109.aspx | work = Office of Foreign Assets Control | publisher = United States Treasury | date = January 9, 2017 | accessdate = January 9, 2017}}</ref>

==Implementation oversight in 2017==
The [[Associated Press]] reported on February 9, 2017, that Congress should preserve the act.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/congress-must-preserve-the-magnitsky-act-to-protect-human-rights/2017/02/09/53b8a3c4-ee3c-11e6-a100-fdaaf400369a_story.html?utm_term=.3e078a17dda9|title=Congress must preserve the Magnitsky Act to protect human rights|agency=[[Associated Press]]|work=[[The Washington Post]]|publisher=[[Jeff Bezos|Nash Holdings LLC]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|date=February 9, 2017|accessdate=April 22, 2017}}</ref> [[United States President|President]] [[Donald Trump]] gave a memorandum to Congress on the implementation of the act on April 21, 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-crackdown-on-rights-abusers-in-russia/|title=Trump pledges crackdown on rights abusers in Russia and beyond|first=David M.|last=Herszenhorn|work=[[Politico]]|publisher=[[Capitol News Company]]|location=[[Arlington County, Virginia]]|date=April 21, 2017|accessdate=April 22, 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Dima Yakovlev Law]]
*[[International sanctions during the Ukrainian crisis]]
*[[List of companies that applied sanctions during the Crimean crisis]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr6156 H.R. 6156: Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012]
*[http://www.the-american-interest.com/articles/2012/12/18/what-the-magnitsky-act-means/ What the Magnitsky Act Means] opinion piece. (If over 3 article free limit, use this [http://web.archive.org/web/www.the-american-interest.com/articles/2012/12/18/what-the-magnitsky-act-means/ archive link] instead.)

[[Category:Corruption in Russia]]
[[Category:Political scandals in Russia]]
[[Category:Human rights in Russia]]
[[Category:United States federal banking legislation]]
[[Category:United States federal civil rights legislation]]
[[Category:United States federal immigration and nationality legislation]]
[[Category:United States federal trade legislation]]
[[Category:Acts of the 112th United States Congress]]
[[Category:Russia–United States relations]]

Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Magnitsky Act