Author: Uncle Two
Magnitsky and Braud
Russia has not yet recovered from the throes of Soviet Union disintegration in 1996, but a frenzy to carve up state assets has begun. Led by Yeltsin, former state-owned monopolies were privatized at low prices, and a small number of Russian dignitaries shared the feast and turned into new oligarchs in economic.
I. Fund Managers in Red
A British fund manager, William Felix Blaud (William Felix Browder), sees this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy stakes in some monopolies in Russia. Most of the western money was not bullish on russia at the time and was reluctant to take risks.
Unlike Braud, however, he was born pink —— and his grandfather, Burr Braud, was a fanatical socialist during the First World War and studied in Soviet Union for five years. Back in the United States from 1930 to 1945 became the United States Communist Party leader. In the ideological opposition of the McCarthy era, Burr Braud was imprisoned twice.
Because of this origin, braud was very unpopular with his homeland —— the u.s., went to britain after college to invest, and naturalized britain in 1998, renouncing american citizenship. So it is not surprising that he has a natural interest in Russia and is willing to take risks.
Burroughs established the Winter Palace Capital (Hermitage) in 1996. With $25 million into the privatized Russian equity market. At that time, Russia, oligarchy, lawlessness, the so-called "wild east" period, wave after wave of harvest rapidly swept the Russians accumulated hundreds of years of wealth. Braud has also gained a lot, growing to $1 billion in just two years.
But the cruel reality soon shattered Braud's red heart.
II. The Russian Trap
Mr braud found in 1998 that almost all of the large russian companies he invested in —— such as gazprom, the Surgutneftegaz,Avisma,Sberbank of big oil companies had serious management corruption and corporate malfeasance.
As a shareholder from the west, mr braud is clearly looking for mr tucson to think a little too much about his interests and assume that he needs to talk about these dark sides. He declared publicly that "if you do not want the investment to be stolen, you must be a shareholder maintain legal rights person ". He held a press conference, rolled out the "hidden rules ", fed journalist the material, and introduced the oligarchs' ways of divestiture, wasteful spending and stock dilution.
Cut off the oligarchs' money, so we ca n' t play happily.
Broud was sued by his own investment company Avisma for "illegal transfer of funds", and was subsequently accused of tax evasion and money laundering. In 2005, the Russian tax authorities simply sealed the "Hermitage Capital" office in Moscow, seizing all property. Laud was blacklisted by the Russian government and considered a "threat to national security" and was banned from entering. Browder struggled for ten years in Russia, and finally ended up empty.
Not content with years of hard work, Braud found a 35-year-old professional accountant, Sergei Magnitsky (Sergei Magnitsky) to prove his innocence —— but it is clear that ignorance is not the answer Russia wants. Braud might not have expected that his move would not only kill Magnitsky, but also incite the wings of a butterfly that has since caused great change.
III. Findings of small accountants
Magnitsky was an obscure little accountant. His greatest strength is professional integrity. During his audit of the accounts of "Winter Palace Capital ", he found that the assets seized in the name of" tax evasion "had been re-registered by Russian officials, and then forged tax refund applications in the name of three Winter Palace holding companies, totaling $230 million, while the Moscow tax bureau approved the refund almost in a flash. As for where the money went, and finally into whose pocket, no one knows.
And Magnitsky found that such manipulation was not the only one, and that large quantities of legal property were so easily transferred.
With evidence found by Magnitsky, Winter Palace Capital filed a lawsuit. Russia's officialdom was shaken by the press, disgraced, and magnitsky, who represented "winter palace capital ", suffered many times death threat, even his lawer advised him to leave russia. Consider also, the property of foreign boss is stolen, you a small accountant that takes salary, why want to take body and family life and powerful people dead knock? What's the benefit of a knock?
But like pigs, it's hard to understand people's values. All the things in this world are always expected, and perhaps there is a "fool" who insists on metaphysical morality. Magnitsky, a small accountant, is such a man, very stubborn, not only do not go, but also believe that through litigation can get justice.
In December 2008, it was time to come. Magnitsky was acciused arrested for "tax evasion" with Blaud and, for the next 11 months, was transferred from one prison to another for secret interrogation, without escaping each time cruel torture. but it was amazing that the fateful little accountant never confessed.
Again, on 16 November 2009, Magnitsky, cruel torture ill-treated and untreated, was held in a cell and handcuffed and beaten violently. Then he shut his mouth forever before the trial.
IV. THE WORK OF BLOUD
Bloud, the boss, felt guilty about the death of Magnitsky. He was even more aggrieved that one life had been exchanged only for three glasses of Russian official wine —— several junior officials had been warned that no one was facing criminal punishment.
From the angry Braud back to think of his loathing motherland —— the United States. Because only the American emperor has the power to do justice for him. Braud went to Washington, in 2010 with all the information and evidence to begin his lobbying career for more than a year. He succeeded in persuading the Democratic Party senator Benjamin Kadan to submit the Magnitsky Act. Approved by the Senate and Senate, signed by Obama on December 14 law .2012
Although there are many sanctions bills in the history of the US imperialism, they were basically directed against countries or groups. The Magnitsky Act is the first global sanctions bill against human rights violations. Regardless of the cause, it only asks the result, that is, whether it is a duty behavior or an institutional behavior, as long as you participate in violence involving human rights, you are responsible. The core points of the bill are:
It is forbidden for those who commit violence in the name of the country or system to possess US visas and assets, and to prohibit the use of the United States and its related banking systems.
Because few banks in the world dare to say they have nothing to do with the u.s. banking system, once the bill is targeted, it is basically equivalent to the world can not hide and transfer assets —— can only play in their own country. No big bank can give up the whole dollar business for a few customers.
In the next six years, at least 31 Russian officials involved in the Magnitsky case were sanctioned. Since 2012, Putin has made the repeal of the Magnitsky Act its biggest foreign policy priority. But none of his efforts worked. For this reason, the angry Russian authorities tried Braud in absentia in July 2013, sentenced to nine years...
V. Far-reaching implications
Following the passage of the bill, Brod continued to publish a book in 2015: The Red Notice: A True Story about Finance, murder, and A Man for Justice, detailing the context of the matter as a memorial to Magnitsky. The book, which sold 350,000 copies in the U.S., was then widely known in Hollywood, once again pushing the bill.
And in December 2017, the U.S. announced sanctions against 13 foreign officials, including Communist Party officials, for serious human rights and corruption. A further 39 persons or entities associated with these 13 persons were also sanctioned.
Although the Magnitsky Act appears to be nothing more than a general act for specific cases and officials, it has been highly malleable and has triggered a butterfly effect worldwide, as it has pioneered sanctions against "individual do evil "".
In addition to the United States, in recent years, Britain, Sweden, France, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Australia and other 14 countries and regions have passed their own Magnitsky Act. The EU also adopted an overwhelming resolution in March 2019 urging all 28 member states to enact similar accountability laws.
There are few countries in the world that deserve to be transferred, either already legislation or ready to legislation, a good future.
And this legislation of unification among major global nations on the same issue may not have occurred to Broder in his quest for legislation. For the long run, it will change the fate of countless dignitaries.
VI. The following afterwave
Obama is a good flag bearer, but he doesn't like it. Although the Magnitsky Act was one of his most important political legacies, Obama was not used to it during his tenure. Actually, the bill is not really carried forward in the flag, but very like the implementation of Trump tenure. Trump who care more about trade negotiations, of course, don't really want to use it, but the situation is stronger than people, who want to die can not stop.
Amid the parliament's unprecedented bipartisan calls for sanctions in the last two years, the mood has finally pushed the bill forward. As of july 9th, the u.s. treasury has announced sanctions against four senior chinese officials under the Xinjiang act.
In fact, it can be said that the laws on China that the United States Emperor has adopted in recent years, whether it involves Xinjiang, Hong Kong or Taiwan, are all the continuation and subdivision of the Magnitsky Act. The Magnitsky Act is an outline and the rest is all.
Since it has not been implemented in large areas before, its power and impact may not be obvious. But when it comes to meat, it may soon feel the shock. Indeed, since the passage of the bill in the United States, alliance, of some 70 non-governmental organizations around the world have been working to provide information in the hope of triggering sanctions.
Just as mass killing on the battlefield may not work, a precise beheading can do more with half the effort. That's what personal sanctions have to do.
The little Russian accountant, I think one day I can close my eyes. Because of his brave persistence, those named after his law, can let countless domineering powerful and courageous, for more lives such as ants show justice.
