Political Quotes

“first, let me thank Senator McCain for not just working this out but for his leadership on this issue. He has provided the moral leadership we need on dealing with human rights issues. He is a cosponsor of the Sergei Magnitsky Accountability Act, and I thank him for that. Today we close a chapter in the U.S. history on the advancing of human rights with the repeal basically of Jackson-Vanik. It served its purpose. Today, we open a new chapter in U.S. leadership for human rights with the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act. As the Presiding Officer has heard, this involves a lawyer named Sergei Magnitsky who had U.S. interests that he was representing in Russia. He discovered the largest tax fraud in Russia's history. He did what a lawyer should do: He brought it to the attention of the authorities. As a result of his bringing this corruption in local government to the authorities, he was arrested. He was tortured because they wanted him to recant what he had said. They wanted him to basically not tell the truth. He refused to do that. He needed medical attention; he was denied medical attention; and on November 16, 2009, he lost his life in a Russian prison, being denied the opportunity to get needed health care. He was 37 years old, with a wife and two children. Those who were responsible for his death and those who were responsible for the coverup have never been brought to justice.…”