Russian investigators have ordered a repeat investigation of Sergey Magnitsky's cause of death, who died in 2009 in a detention center in Moscow, family lawyer Nikolai Gorokhov told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2020) Russian investigators have ordered a repeat investigation of Sergey Magnitsky's cause of death, who died in 2009 in a detention center in Moscow, family lawyer Nikolai Gorokhov told Sputnik.
"The investigation has appointed a new examination, this follows from the decision of the investigator Nikolai Tutevich, who requested the removal of all medical documents from the materials of the criminal case stored in the archives of the Tverskoy Court of Moscow," the lawyer said.
According to Gorokhov, the material requested was related to former Deputy Head of the Butyrka detention center Dmitry Kratov. Kratov was initially accused of criminal negligence which led to the detainee's death but was eventually acquitted.
According to the lawyer, the investigators then refused to share their findings with Magnitsky's mother arguing that she was not part of the matter. That decision was reversed by the current investigator in charge of the case, who requested an extraction of the archived material.
Magnitsky's death in 2009 caused public outcry both in Russia and abroad, with human rights defenders accusing Russian authorities of not providing him with medical assistance in the pre-trial detention center, and that he could have died as a result of beatings.
Magnitsky worked at the investment firm Hermitage Capital, run by US financier and investor William Browder. An investigation found that the firm was liable for systemic tax evasion which led to Magnitsky's arrest and a warrant for Browder himself. Browder has since accused the Russian authorities of killing Magnitsky and raising awareness to that end. Several nations have adopted so-called Magnitsky Acts, which levy sanctions against officials accused of human rights abuses and state corruption.
