Magnitsky case: Russia pinned by the European Court of Human Rights

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Tomb of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in Moscow, photographed on March 11, 2013. REUTERS / Mikhail Voskresensky

Sergei Magnitsky, the Russian jurist who died in prison in November 2009, was the victim of ill-treatment and denial of fair justice, and the European Court of Human Rights, the ECHR, strongly condemned Moscow in this case. The lawyer denounced a vast network of corruption in his country, before being himself accused of tax fraud.

Violation of the right to life, inhuman and degrading treatment and violation of the right to a fair trial: these are the reasons for the conviction of the ECHR , which requires Russia to pay 34,000 euros in compensation to Sergei's mother and wife Magnitski for moral injury. This is a higher amount than the court usually practices in this type of case.

Magnitskiy and Others v. The United Kingdom Russia - detention and death in custody of a Russian tax adviserhttp: //t.co/QPZElOvLVX#ECHR #CEDH

The 37-year-old Russian lawyer died after a year in detention after being deprived of medical treatment, transferred from prison to prison and beaten to death. The judges, who voted unanimously, also criticized the superficial investigation into the circumstances of his death.

Finally, the European magistrates denounced the posthumous trial which sentenced him for tax evasion in 2013, in violation of the right to a fair justice.

Sergei Magnitsky worked for a leading law firm, which included among its clients the largest foreign investment fund in Russia, Hermitage Capital. Following dubious legal manipulation aimed at Hermitage Capital and its founder, the lawyers denounced a vast corruption scandal.

Sergei Magnitsky was then accused of tax evasion. The European Court of Human Rights does not question the suspicions against it but says that they do not justify the ill-treatment inflicted.