waltky
Wise ol' monkey
What can they do to him if he's already dead?...
Russia Magnitsky case: Dead lawyer trial due to open
10 March 2013 - The trial of a dead lawyer is due to begin in Russia, despite criticism from the US and the European Parliament.
Russia Magnitsky case: Dead lawyer trial due to open
10 March 2013 - The trial of a dead lawyer is due to begin in Russia, despite criticism from the US and the European Parliament.
Sergei Magnitsky died in prison in 2009 after accusing officials of falsely claiming a tax rebate of $230m (£150m). He was arrested after some of the officials accused him of the same offence. It is believed to be the first time in Russian or Soviet history that a defendant will have been tried posthumously. Mr Magnitsky's colleagues say the case against him was fabricated to make him stop his investigation into a number of high-profile corrupt officials. His family and lawyers refused to attend last week's pre-trial hearing saying the case was politically motivated.
The European Parliament says the trial is "a violation of international and national laws and clearly shows the malfunctioning of the Russian criminal justice system". Mr Magnitsky's mother, Natalya Magnitskaya, told Reuters: "It's inhuman to try a dead man. If I take part in this circus, I become an accomplice to this. I won't take part in the hearings." Also to be tried in absentia is Bill Browder, the head of Hermitage Capital Management which employed Mr Magnitsky. He is facing new fraud charges filed last week over dealings in shares for state gas firm Gazprom. He says the charges are an "absurdity" and revenge for his campaign in the US for rights legislation named after Mr Magnitsky.
Critics of the trial say Sergei Magnitsky, 37, was a whistleblower who uncovered corruption
Beaten
Mr Magnitsky had been an auditor at a Moscow law firm when he discovered what he said was a massive fraud by tax officials and police officers. After his arrest, he was in detention for a year and had pancreatitis, but an investigation by Russia's presidential council on human rights concluded he had been beaten and denied medical treatment. In December, a Moscow court acquitted a prison doctor accused of negligence over Mr Magnitsky's death.
The case has strained relations between Russia and the US. Last year, Washington passed the Magnitsky Act, which blacklists Russian officials accused of human rights violations. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a Russian law barring Americans from adopting Russian orphans. Amnesty International has warned that the trial would "open a whole new chapter in Russia's worsening human rights record".
BBC News - Russia Magnitsky case: Dead lawyer trial due to open