Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 27 February 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade

The Case of Mr. Sergei Magnitsky: Discussion

4:10 pm

Mr. William Browder:

First, let us talk about the Magnitsky family. If I had my druthers, every close relative would be outside the country. Some are; many are not.

His mother in particular is fighting really hard for justice and putting herself at great personal risk for her only son. She lost everything in her own mind and she has no interest in leaving but has every interest in fighting. What can we do to protect her? We can ensure everybody knows everything she is doing so the eyes of the world are on her. We have done that. I was truly shocked to hear that Mr. Magnitsky's brother-in-law was summoned for questioning today but that is what they do, and they want to terrify everybody. I can only hope that they are feeling restrained by the eyes of world being on them.

I was asked whether I am doing this alone and the answer is "No". I am the leader of this campaign but when one works on a righteous cause, many people will join from everywhere. People say I must have spent much money on this; I have spent much money on plane tickets but I have not spent much on everything else. People want to be part of something that is right and something which can be effective in having greater significance. This is not just touching Sergei's case but all the cases in Russia, and the entire Russian opposition has joined me in this campaign. If any member of the Russian opposition comes here, this is a guaranteed topic about which he or she will talk. There is a real movement around the world of people supporting us in different ways in the political and legal processes. They are helping us tell the story, and it is heartwarming to see that there are many good people out there.

Senator Clune's second question was about the US.