[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 20331-20332]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  2017 SERGEI MAGNITSKY SANCTIONS LIST

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I wish to take this time to talk about two 
matters of human rights, which I know the Presiding Officer has been 
very much engaged with as an active member of the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee. I want to share this information with our 
colleagues.
  This month marks the fifth anniversary of the 2012 Sergei Magnitsky 
Rule of Law and Accountability Act. Today, with the publication of five 
new sanctions designations, the citizens of the Russian Federation--
many of whom strive for a future governed by the rule of law--can claim 
a small victory over oppression. I hope that today's news provides a 
semblance of justice for the family of Sergei Magnitsky and those who 
continue to fight against corruption and human rights abuses across the 
country.
  The Magnitsky list now includes 49 names--an important testament to 
the central importance that accountability and human rights should play 
in U.S. foreign policy.
  I think the Members of this body are familiar with the circumstances 
surrounding Sergei Magnitsky's death. He was a young lawyer in Russia 
representing a company. He discovered corruption, and he did what any 
lawyer should do. He reported it to the authorities. As a result, he 
was arrested. He was tortured, denied medical care, and died in prison.
  As a result of that, legislation was introduced. I was proud to 
sponsor it with my good friend Senator McCain. It was enacted into law, 
as I said, 5 years ago. It holds those who perpetrate these violations 
of human rights accountable by denying them the right to visit our 
country--visa applications--or to use our banking systems.
  The five additions to this list include Andrei Pavlov, Yulia 
Mayorova, and Alexei Sheshenya for their roles in the Magnitsky case 
and Ramzan Kadyrov and Ayub Kataev for gross violations of human 
rights. I appreciate the work of career officials at the Treasury and 
State Departments for their work in investigating and designating these 
important cases.
  Andrei Pavlov is a Russian lawyer who played a central role 
orchestrating the false claims used in the $230 million tax fraud that 
Sergei Magnitsky uncovered. His addition to the Magnitsky list is long 
overdue, as he played an essential role in the plot.
  Yulia Mayorova is the former wife of Pavlov and a Russian lawyer. She 
also reportedly played a role in helping to facilitate the fraud 
uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky.
  Alexei Sheshenia also reportedly played key roles in both the 2006 
theft of the $107 million in taxes paid by RenGaz and in the 2007 theft 
of the $230 million of taxes paid by Hermitage. I understand that in 
both tax thefts, shell companies beneficially owned by Alexei Sheshenia 
used forged backdated contracts to obtain judgments against companies 
that paid a significant amount of taxes.
  Ramzan Kadyrov is a renowned human rights abuser who has brutally run 
the Republic of Chechnya for more than 10 years. Under his rule, human 
rights offenders have been murdered, and gay men have disappeared. He 
has destroyed any semblance of the rule of law in the Republic. Over 
the course of his time in power, there have been credible allegations 
of his directing assassinations deployed across Russia and Europe. 
Human rights groups have documented many cases of torture and 
extrajudicial killings by forces under his control.
  Ayub Kataev is a prison warden and head of the branch of the Chechen 
internal affairs ministry. Earlier this year, Chechen authorities 
reportedly set up concentration camps for gay men under his control. He 
certainly belongs on this list.
  Since 2012, Senator McCain and I have conducted rigorous oversight to 
ensure robust implementation of the Magnitsky law. In 2016, we wrote to 
the State Department with certain suggestions for inclusions on the 
list relevant to the death of Sergei Magnitsky. We also expressed 
concerns that the allegations of torture in Chechnya against gay men 
and other human rights violations in the North Caucasus should be 
investigated. I am pleased they took action that was responsive to both 
of our inquiries.
  I want my colleagues to know that I do believe this administration 
has conducted the review on the Magnitsky list the way it should have 
been--keeping in close contact with Members of the Senate. I think the 
result speaks to the quality of work that was done in this year's list.
  America's values are our interests. As a country, we must remain 
steadfastly committed to the principles embedded in the Magnitsky law--
accountability, the rule of law, and respect for

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human rights. The American people expect U.S. policymakers to advance 
these principles in all aspects of our diplomatic relations. I welcome 
today's announcement and also expect the first publication of the 
``Global Magnitsky'' sanctions designations this week.
  As the Presiding Officer is well aware, we have recently passed the 
``Global Magnitsky'' law that applies similar standards for human 
rights violations globally. That list should be made available, we 
hope, sometime this week.

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