Russia moves forward with Magnitsky investigation

GlobalPost
The World

Russia has announced charges in the case of Sergei Magnitsky, the lawyer whose death in prison sparked an international outcry. Magnitsky, arrested while unearthing state corruption, was allowed to die a painful death in jail after repeatedly being refused medical care. Criminal cases were opened against Larisa Litvinova, a doctor who oversaw Magnitsky’s treatment during the last weeks of his life and faces charges of causing death through professional negligence, and Dmitri Kratov, formerly the chief medical officer of Moscow’s infamous Butyrka Prison who faces charges of involuntary manslaughter because of negligence, according to the New York Times.

As the Wall Street Journal notes: “Mr. Magnitsky's death has badly undermined President Dmitry Medvedev's promises to clean up Russia's justice system and put it on a Western footing.” Medvedev has focused on the case, promising to follow through to the end.

Magnitsky was hired by Hermitage Capital to investigate an alleged $230 million tax fraud committed by officers of Russia's Interior Ministry. His former colleagues have pushed for the investigation into his death to be expanded to include the officials who ordered his arrest.

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