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November 16th will mark the one year anniversary of the murder in Russian police custody of Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year old Russian anti-corruption lawyer.

To commemorate this anniversary, a global screening of the new documentary on Magnitsky’s life and tragic death, “Justice for Sergei,” will be held on at a number of parliaments worldwide, including the European Union, United Kingdom, Germany, Estonia, the United States of America and Canada.

In connection with this screening, leading statesmen, politicians, scholars, human rights activists, journalists, lawyers and businessmen around the world will join in an unprecedented political and cultural event to protest the continuing impunity of the state officials who cruelly tortured and killed Magnitsky in custody.

Sergei Magnitsky, an outside lawyer for the Hermitage Fund, discovered that Russian police were involved in misappropriating his client’s investment companies and later embezzling $230 million of public funds through the largest tax refund fraud in Russian history. Magnitsky testified against the state officials involved, and in retaliation they arrested him, detained him for 12 months without trial and tortured him in an attempt to force him to retract his testimony. Despite the physical and psychological torture, Magnitsky refused to change his testimony. He died on 16 November 2009 at the age of 37 leaving a mother, wife and two children. The new documentary reveals previously unreleased details of this shocking human tragedy.

Commentators at each screening will discuss the legislative initiatives underway in the US, Canada and European Union countries to deny visas and freeze the assets of the Russian officials involved in the corruption Magnitsky exposed and his subsequent torture and murder in custody.

This will be the first time a worldwide protest has been organized against the impunity of Russian state officials.

See documentary trailer here: YouTube.com

See proposed legislation “Justice for Sergei Magnitsky Act of 2010”: Thomas.loc.gov

To RSVP and for further information please contact: Leonie Buxton, 020 7440 1777, leonie.buxton@hermitagefund.com

(press release)

Parliamentary screenings will be held at

- US Congress
- Canadian Parliament
- UK Parliament
- German Reichstag
- European Parliament
- Estonia Riigikogu
- Poland Sejm (TBC)

Details here.

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