The Magntsky Act: An Attorney General’s Perspective on Human Rights in the U.S., Ukraine, and the “Detention of Evan Gershkovich”
In April of last year, Kara-Murza was arrested for spreading false information about the Russian army. Kara-Murza told the Arizona state legislature about atrocities committed by Russian forces in Ukraine in a speech.
The sentencing is expected to draw international condemnation of Putin. The leader of Human Rights Watch in Europe and Central Asia said last week that a dissident in Russia faced prison time for raising his voice due to his opposition to the Kremlin and its war in Ukraine.
Since he invaded Ukrainian, Putin has intensified his brutal campaign against freedom of expression.
In 2012 the charge of treason in Russia was expanded to include any assistance to a foreign state or international organization. Kara-Murza was criticized for condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. deemed Evan Gershkovich was “wrongfully detained” in Russia, a formal determination that means the State Department will form a team to work to secure the Wall Street Journal reporter’s release. In a video interview, Gershkovich’s family spoke out.
The original law, which was signed into law in December of 2012 and is known as the “Magntsky Act,” bars entry to the US and freezes the assets of certain Russian government officials and businessmen accused of violating human rights. The law was expanded to give global scope for Russia-focused legislation.
The Day When The Dark Overcoming Russia Will Dissipate: How Do We Stand Up Today? Comment on Kara-Murza at the Kremlin
The current regime in the Kremlin poses a danger to Russia as well as the world, according to Kara-Murza.
He also expressed that he hoped “that the day will come when the darkness over our country will dissipate.” “Even today, even in the darkness surrounding us, even sitting in this cage, I love my country and believe in our people,” he added. “I believe that we can walk this path.”
“For a person who has not committed any crimes, acquittal would be the only fair verdict,” Kara-Murza said at the closing session of his trial on Monday. “But I do not ask this court for anything. I know the verdict. I knew it a year ago when I saw people in black uniforms and black masks running after my car in the rearview mirror. Such is the price for speaking up in Russia today.”
There have been constant concerns regarding Kara-Murza’s health, with the dissident losing 37 pounds and suffering from weakness in his limbs.
While in pretrial detention, a doctor diagnosed the condition as polyneuropathy — a malfunctioning of peripheral nerves throughout the body. It can be caused by many different things including diseases, drugs and toxins.
The War Between Russia and the Cold War: An Update on Kara-Murza’s Presidency in Moscow after Boris’s Death
“Given the sophisticated type of poison, I think it’s people who have been or are connected with the Russian special services,” he told NPR in a 2017 interview.
The risks of opposition politics in Russia have been nothing new for Kara-Murza. Boris was killed in central Moscow in the summer of 2015.
Kara-Murza was one of the people who pushed for the legislation, later serving as a pallbearer at McCain’s funeral.
Yet, even from pretrial detention, Kara-Murza maintained a public presence — authoring opinion pieces for the Washington Post in which he expressed confidence that Russia would ultimately emerge from the latest repressive chapter in its history.
Family and followers of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny are awaiting updates on his condition after his associates sounded the alarm last week about his health.
The president of Brazil and the president of China issued a joint statement saying they want to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Lula sent his foreign adviser to Russia earlier this month to speak with Putin about the potential for talks. Now Russia’s foreign minister will visit Brasília.
Russia has toughened its military draft rules including banning conscripts from leaving the country and increasing penalties for not reporting for service.
Ukrainian War News APRIL 17: The First Day of the Easter POW-Swap in Ukraine (via VVV+Bahmut)
The battle for Bakhmut heated up again, as Russian military and Wagner Group mercenaries ramped up their assault on the eastern Ukrainian town, according to British Defense Ministry intelligence. The town’s defenses were held in the west, but the troops moved to other areas. Russia also bombed the eastern Ukrainian town of Sloviansk, hitting a residential area and killing over a dozen people. And in the Russian border city of Belgorod, a thermal power plant caught fire in an apparent drone attack.
Ukraine celebrated Orthodox Easter for the second time since Russia launched its large-scale invasion last year. On this occasion, Ukrainians also celebrated a “big Easter POW swap,” a presidential adviser said, noting 130 Ukrainian soldiers were released.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal visited Washington, meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and others. The Ukrainian president spoke from Washington via video link to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Earlier, a bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
A video purporting to show the decapitation of Ukrainian soldiers went widely on social media sparking strong condemnation from Ukrainian leaders.
Brittney Griner is working on a memoir about her prison time in Russia. The basketball player signed to play for the Phoenix Mercury in the next season after she returned from a Russian penal colony.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/04/17/1169216781/russia-ukraine-war-news-april-17
Past, Present and Future: NPR’s State of Ukraine (Vilkovisky vs. Wukagev v. Yukawa)
The past recaps can be found here. More of NPR’s coverage can be found here. You can get the latest news throughout the day by listening and subscribe to NPR’s State of Ukraine.