Kremlin Forwards Outside Appeal on Magnitsky’s Death
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has forwarded to the Investigative Committee an appeal from an international alliance of lawyers for justice in the death of Hermitage Capital lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
In July, TAGLaw, a legal network that unites 147 law firms in 81 countries, including Magnitsky's employer, sent an open letter to Medvedev, calling on him to investigate allegations that Magnitsky was "tortured to death." The appeal will now be considered by the Investigative Committee, TAGLaw said, citing a letter from the Prosecutor General's Office. In the letter to Medvedev, copies of which were sent to the United Nations and the US government and Congress, TAGLaw said Russian authorities were ignoring "strong evidence" that Magnitsky was effectively killed by the Interior Ministry officers whom he had testified against.