Russian Lawyer Was Beaten by 8 Jail Guards Before He Died, Report Says
A jailed Russian lawyer who had accused government officials of corruption was chained to a cot and beaten by eight guards immediately before he died in 2009, according to a report to the country’s president by an advisory human rights council.
When an ambulance crew that had been called in advance and then kept waiting for an hour was finally admitted to the cell, they allegedly found Sergei Magnitsky, 37, dead and with most of his knuckles smashed,the Los Angeles Times reports.
Officials said the Firestone Duncan partner had died of heart failure in the prison’s intensive care ward.
“It is clear to us,” Valery Borshchov of the Moscow Helsinki Group tells the Times, “that they wanted to apply pressure on Magnitsky, to teach him a tough lesson. But they went too far and their actions together with lack of urgent medical help caused his death.”
Borshchov is one of the authors of the report.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Civil Practice Puts Russian Lawyers at Risk of Violence and Criminal Charges”
ABAJournal.com: “Russian Lawyer, 37, Dies in Prison After Pursuing Claimed Kremlin Fraud”
ABAJournal.com: “Law Firm Founder Flees Russia, Says He Feared Suffering Same Fate as Dead Colleague”
ABAJournal.com: “Russian Lawyer Who Died in Jail Uncovered $107M Tax Rebate Fraud, Hedge Fund Alleges”
