releases: https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/floor-statements?ContentRecord_id=59836144-26E6-428E-B4B8-59809E6F1086
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/floor-statements?ContentRecord_id=59836144-26E6-428E-B4B8-59809E6F1086 | FLOOR STATEMENT BY SENATOR JOHN McCAIN ON 7TH ANNIVERSARY OF MURDER OF SERGEI MAGNITSKY | 2016-11-17 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Republican | House | AZ | John McCain | M000303 | www.mccain.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) delivered the following remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate on 7th anniversary of the murder of Segei Magnitsky: “Mr. President: “Seven years ago this week, in a squalid cell inside the prison that once held the political opponents of the tsars and the Soviets, Sergei Magnitsky was murdered defying the tyranny of Vladimir Putin’s Russia. “Many Americans are not familiar with the life of this Russian patriot, but it was one dedicated to—and ultimately sacrificed for—principles that we all hold dear. “Magnitsky was an unlikely hero in the cause of freedom. He didn't spend his life as a human rights activist, or as an outspoken critic of the Russian government. He was an ordinary man. But he became an extraordinary champion of justice, fairness, and the rule of law—principles that have lost their meaning in Putin’s Russia. “Magnitsky was a tax attorney working for an international company that had invested in Russia. He blew the whistle on tax fraud and large-scale theft by Russian government officials, who looted more than $230 million from the Russian state. But the Russian government blamed the crime on Magnitsky and his company. “He was thrown into one of Russia’s harshest prisons without trial. Russian officials pressured Magnitsky to deny what he had uncovered—to lie and to recant. He refused. He was sickened by what his government had done and he refused to surrender principle to power. And for his refusal, he was beaten and tortured. He was denied medical care. And after 358 days in prison, he died in excruciating pain on November 16, 2009. He was 37 years old. Even after his death, Russian courts convicted him of tax evasion in a show trial. “Sergei Magnitsky’s torture and murder is an extreme example of a problem that is unfortunately all too common and widespread in Russia today: the flagrant violations of the rule of law and basic human rights committed by the Russian government and its allies. “Today I also remember my friend, Boris Nemtsov—a true Russian patriot who committed his life to fighting against Putin’s tyranny and corruption, and fighting for freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. In 2015, Boris was murdered on a bridge in the shadow of the Kremlin in one of the most secure parts of the Russian capital—another victim of the culture of impunity that Vladimir Putin has created in Russia, where individuals are routinely persecuted and attacked for their beliefs, including by the Russian government, and no one is ever held responsible. “It has been said that in a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. My friend, Boris Nemtsov, was a revolutionary. “And without a doubt, Sergei Magnitsky was a revolutionary. He told the truth, and he gave his life for it. “That is why when the circumstances of Magnitsky’s death became known to the world, Congress acted to protect those still under attack for the crime of telling the truth in Putin’s Russia. In December 2012, Congress passed and the President signed the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, which gives the federal government the ability to ban entry to, and freeze the American assets of, anyone ‘responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights’ committed against whistleblowers or human-rights activists in Russia. “This important piece of legislation is a fitting tribute to Sergei Magnitsky. And it is a foundation on which we must continue to build. We must fully implement the Magnitsky Act by expanding its reach to more individuals who fit the criteria in the law. And we must pass the Global Magnitsky Human Rights and Accountability Act, which will provide new tools to hold perpetrators of corruption and human rights abuses accountable for their actions around the world. The Senate has already passed this legislation. And I hope the House and Senate will soon have an opportunity to send Global Magnitsky to the President’s desk when we consider the conference report on the defense authorization bill. “Our message must be clear: if you violate the human rights and civil liberties of others, the United States will hold you accountable. By living up to that principle, we honor the life and memory of Sergei Magnitsky. Our nation and free people everywhere must continue to draw strength from his example, and with that strength, renew our commitment to stand by those who carry on the fight for freedom around the world.” ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |