Post Written by Liberty Speaks original can be found HERE
The Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (HR 6156) was signed into law by Pres. Obama on Friday, December 14th of this year. The law is designed to punish those officials in Russia responsible for Sergei Magnitsky’s death in 2009. He was a “whistle blower” Sergei exposed massive fraud involving millions of dollars, whose testimony implicated the Russian police, the judiciary, tax officials, bankers and the Russian Mob. Instead of opening an investigation on the police the Russian authorities opened one on Sergei. He was accused of colluding with the same people and organizations he exposed. He was arrested, put into prison and was held without trial for eleven months. According to the Russian Helsinki Group he had been beaten and tortured by members of the Russian Ministry, he had also developed health complications while in prison and was denied medical treatment. Treatment that would have saved his life. The law that is in his name…
Directs the Secretary of State to publish and update a list of each person the Secretary has reason to believe:
(1) is responsible for the detention, abuse, or death of Sergei Magnitsky, participated in related liability concealment efforts, financially benefited from Sergei Magnitsky’s detention, abuse, or death, or was involved in the criminal conspiracy uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky; or
(2) is responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other human rights violations committed against individuals seeking to expose illegal activity carried out by Russian officials, or against persons seeking to promote human rights and freedoms. Makes an alien on such list ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States. Revokes any visa issued for such person. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such prohibition if in the U.S. national security interest. Requires congressional notification of any such waiver.
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to freeze and prohibit U.S. property transactions of an individual who is on the list or who acts as an agent for a listed individual. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such actions if in the U.S. national security interest. Requires congressional notification of any such waiver. Subjects a person who violates, attempts to violate, or causes a violation of such prohibitions to specified penalties.
In response to President Obama signing this bill, in a retaliatory action , the Russian Duma put forth an outrageous and egregious new bill of their own called the Dima Yakovlev List. It imposes Visa and financial sanctions on Americans who have violated the rights and freedoms of Russians. Under one provision of the law, US citizens are banned from adopting Russian children. It was named after a Russian born adopted child who died while in the care of his American adoptive father Miles Harrison in 2008. The father was acquitted in the case in 2009. It was a tragic story of a child unintentionally left out in a hot car. We have heard the story many times, how ever in this case the adoptive father was found not guilty. Russian officials were furious over the verdict and wanted to open an investigation of their own and called for restrictions on adoptions of Russian Children by US parents. 1996 and 2009, 14 Russian born adopted children had died of abuse, however, to give some context since 1991 there have been over 60,000 Russian children adopted by US citizens.
In a statement to the New York Times released after the verdict in the Harrison case, then United States ambassador to Russia, John Beyrle, said it would be wrong to severely restrict adoptions by Americans because of the case, which he called “a terrible tragedy……”
“….We should keep in mind the tens of thousands of extremely successful adoptions by Americans of Russian children, children who in many cases maintain a connection with their Russian roots,” he said. “and we should think of the thousands of Russian children who do not have parents and who currently live in state-supported institutions.”
Unfortunately, President Vladimir Putin, signed in to law the Dima Yakovlev list yesterday. This effectively destroyed the hopes of 52 Russian children who were already in the system to be placed in the homes of American families who will now remain in Russia. Many of these children had already spent time with their soon to be adoptive parents, many of whom, with out the chance of adoption will now face the heartbreaking reality of a very uncertain future. Many of Russia’s orphans it is estimated that 50-to 90% will find themselves suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction when they grow up and an alarming high number of them turn to suicide. It is estimated that there are 800,000 and some reports say up to 2.5 million orphans if you include street children in Russia today.
Senator John McCain (R) made the statement to Fox News on Friday,… “Our law singles out and punishes individual Russian officials who are corrupt and complicit in gross human rights abuses,” Senator McCain goes on to say…”Russia’s barring of adoptions broadly punishes the neediest, most defenseless, and most innocent members of its own society.”
President Vladimir Putin, who now is the human rights violator in this story? The most innocent, not the violators of human rights are being punished. Exploiting your own country’s children as political pawns is reprehensible. DO what a Leader of a country should do…punish those within the Russian Government who are responsible for the torture and killing of Sergei Magnitsky. Bring them to their deserved justice regardless of party. Revoke the Dima Yakovlev list Law. Tens of thousands of Russian children have been brought to our country by legal adoption over the last two decades. Those adoptive parents do this with unconditional love and desire for a child with the intent to offer a loving family. Please do not shatter the dreams of your children for a better life than what they are condemned to in your orphanages in which they sadly call home.
-Liberty Speaks
