State Dept. Reportedly Revokes Visa of Magnitsky Act Campaigner

[Arvei]

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-w...act-campaigner

The State Department has reportedly revoked a visa for British citizen Bill Browder, a hedge-fund manager-turned human-rights activist responsible for the Magnitsky Act. The 2012 U.S. law is aimed at punishing Russian officials believed responsible for the death in a Moscow prison of Sergei Magnitsky, who was allegedly beaten and denied medical care.

The canceling of Browder's visa came on the same day that the Kremlin issued yet another international arrest warrant for him via Interpol.

The Magnitsky Act, which freezes the assets and bans visas for certain Russians, including those close to Vladimir Putin, "touched off a nasty confrontation with the Kremlin, and the two sides have been trying ever since to undermine the credibility of the other. Recently, however, Russian prosecutors have taken that effort to a remarkable new level, claiming that Mr. Magnitsky was actually murdered by Mr. Browder," according to The New York Times.

Browder, who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in July, was once the largest private foreign investor in Russia. Magnitsky was his accountant and attorney. You can hear him here in a July interview with NPR, with a thorough take here by NPR's Miles Parks.

Is this potentially obstruction of justice if the US government is making it difficult on a potential witness? Also, seems pretty coincidental this is happening at the same time that Browder gets issued an international warrant for his arrest by the Kremlin...

[Deleted]

Guess renouncing his US citizenship to avoid paying taxes is coming to bite him in the ass.

[Belize]

No puppet. No puppet.

[Kujako]

No puppet. No puppet.

YOU'RE the puppet!

[Ripster42]

If I was mueller I would immediately subpoena all communications related to this.

[Arvei]

If I was mueller I would immediately subpoena all communications related to this.

Yeah, this is shady as hell. I don't know how this isn't bigger news.

[PACOX]

Its like Trump looks for ways to make himself look worse.


ELI5 version: They banned Putin's critic from entering the country. Its a straight up attempt to obstruct.

[Mormolyce]

It looks like Russia managed to put him on an Interpol arrest list while advancing a narrative blaming him for Magnitsky's death:

Moscow has yet to comment on its request to place Mr Browder on the Interpol list, but over the weekend, the New York Times reported Moscow was proceeding with an investigation against Mr Browder, who it has accused of killing Mr Magntisky, even though he was living in the UK at the time of the lawyer’s death. The newspaper said a Russian court had already convicted Mr Browder in absentia of fraud.

...

Mr Browder said he believed his US visa had been suspended “automatically” after his name appeared on the Interpol list. He said he had spent the weekend trying to find out what the US was doing to resolve it.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a8015961.html

Comes a week after Canada also passed an equivalent of the Magnitsky Act. Clearly a retaliatory move using Putin's favourite (only?) tool, deception.

Your classic deflection and muddying the waters to push a narrative. Take notes Trump Administration, this is how a competent tyrant does it.

[Arvei]

Another Article on it from WaPo; DHS says he's cleared for USA landing but it seems Browder refuted that statement.

Is this corruption or disorganization (or both)? Stay tuned!