Justice in modern Russia

markmcdonald Mon Feb 04, 2008 at 10:30:26 AM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

I have written a piece on the Guardian’s Commentisfree (CiF) site criticising the Russian state’s treatment of Vasily Alexanyan, a former executive of the oil giant, Yukos.

 

Alexanyan may or may not be a pawn of the oligarchs who profited from Boris Yeltsin’s economic upheaval, but he is a prisoner in pretrial detention in Moscow. He has Aids and he has been refused medical treatment unless he gives evidence against his former employer Mikhail Khordokovsky. Evidence Alexanyan says he does not have.




 

Some commenters on CiF suggest I have no right to criticise Russia when Britain and our allies have our own human rights abuses and infringements to address. Other commenters have suggested that Vasily is getting what he deserves for conspiring to impoverish millions of Russians.


 

But my contention is that we should challenge human rights abuse wherever we find it, whether it is in Moscow, Gaza or Guantanamo. And the challenge of any democratic state is to provide fair justice to its worst enemies. Russian autocrats believe Vasily Alexanyan is their enemy and so they are letting him die slowly in prison without a trial and without medical treatment. And this perversion of justice chills me.

 

I’d be grateful if you would take a look at the piece and let me know what you think.

 

Mark McDonald



tags: , , , , (all tags)

Display: Sort:
Justice in modern Russia | 2 comments (2 topical)

Re: Justice in modern Russia (#1)

by FH on Mon Feb 04, 2008 at 01:16:05 PM GMT

Excellent piece. I wouldn't get too upset by the comments thread. FSB-sponsored flaming has become a standard, and generally quite amusing, feature of CiF discussions on Russia. You simply have to get used to being accused of personal responsibility for waterboarding.

May I point you towards an Early Day Motion on the Alexanyan issue?

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=34999&SESSION=891

It was initiated by Lib-Dem MP Malcolm Bruce last week. But it would be extremely helpful if Labour MPs signed up too.


Re: Justice in modern Russia (#2)

by ExPatKiwi on Tue Feb 05, 2008 at 01:14:04 AM GMT

Mark's fair and dispassionate post obscures the underlying outrage that we should all feel about these abuses.


I agree with everything he says, and simply wish to register my agreement, and my sadness that expediencies of whatever kind seem to be encouraging our political leaders to look the other way when it comes to Russian abuses of fair process, fair treatment, and fair trial.  Oh - and fair sentencing, too.


Justice in modern Russia | 2 comments (2 topical)