Canada backs sanctions against foreign officials in abuse cases

[webfact]

Canada backs sanctions against foreign officials in abuse cases

By David Ljunggren

REUTERS

 

 

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland gestures as she arrives to pose for a family photo during a G7 for foreign ministers in Lucca, Italy April 11, 2017. REUTERS/Max Rossi

 

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada backs imposing sanctions on officials from Russia and other nations who are deemed guilty of human rights violations, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Wednesday, pressuring Moscow over the high-profile case of a dead whistleblower.

 

Freeland said Canada's Liberal government supported draft legislation inspired by the case of Sergei Magnitsky, an anti-corruption lawyer who died in 2009 after a year in a Russian jail.

 

The proposed Sergei Magnitsky Law would let Ottawa seize the assets and property of foreign officials. The bill, proposed by an opposition legislator, has widespread backing and is certain to become law.

 

"Our government supports expanding the scope under which sanctions measures can be enacted ... to include cases of gross violations of human rights and foreign corruption," Freeland told Parliament, citing strong global interest in the Magnitsky case.

 

"I truly believe this is the direction the world is going and I think it will send a strong message," she added.

 

In 2012, the United States adopted a law freezing any U.S. assets of Russian investigators and prosecutors said to have been involved in the detention of Magnitsky, who had alleged major tax fraud by Russian officials. In retaliation, Moscow barred Americans from adopting Russian children.

 

The Canadian announcement is set to chill ties further with Moscow, which Freeland and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have condemned over the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.

 

Representatives at the Russian Embassy in Ottawa were not immediately available for comment.

 

The bill says Canada can punish those "responsible for, or complicit in, extrajudicial killings, torture or other gross violations of internationally recognised human rights" against people who try to expose illegal activity by government officials or promote human rights.

 

Freeland took over as foreign minister in January from Stephane Dion, who showed less enthusiasm for the proposed law.

 

"We are delighted the government has finally stopped dragging its feet on a global Magnitsky-style sanctions regime," said Peter Kent, foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition Conservative Party.

 

Moscow banned Freeland in 2014 in response to Canadian sanctions against Russian officials over Crimea.

 

Last month Britain formally approved legal amendments allowing authorities to freeze the assets of alleged human rights violators. The measure was inspired by Magnitsky's death.

 

The Kremlin's own human rights council has said there was evidence suggesting Magnitsky was beaten to death. But President Vladimir Putin has dismissed allegations of foul play, saying Magnitsky died of heart failure.

 

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Peter Cooney and Leslie Adler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-05-18

[jerojero]

Way to go Canada. Trump are you listening? Rhetorical question as he pays heed to no one, ever.

[Srikcir]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Canada backs imposing sanctions on officials from Russia and other nations who are deemed guilty of human rights violations

Trump would place sanctions against Canada before he would do so against Russia.

Wait .... he already has - higher tariffs against soft Canadian lumber

[Scott]

Please stay on topic.   This is not one of the many, many threads about Trump.  

[Ulic]

I personally left scratching my head. Who decides. What about Chinese human rights abuses, Saudi Arabia.

Various American presidents killing millions of innocent civilians in South East Asia. Putin is a kleptocratic

thug yes, but there are plenty more around the world and some of them we treat royally.  

[pegman]

Grandpa was a Nazi despite her ridicules attempts to white wash history. She is an ultra-Ukrainian Nationalist who was a poor choice as Foreign Minister. 

 

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/leonid-bershidsky-chrystia-freelands-dismissal-of-her-familys-nazi-connection-is-only-helping-russias-propagandists

[mrwebb8825]

3 hours ago, pegman said:

Grandpa was a Nazi despite her ridicules attempts to white wash history. She is an ultra-Ukrainian Nationalist who was a poor choice as Foreign Minister. 

 

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/leonid-bershidsky-chrystia-freelands-dismissal-of-her-familys-nazi-connection-is-only-helping-russias-propagandists

Wonder if this new law will allow Jewish-Canadians to file a lawsuit and seize her family's assets as a human rights violator. 

[YetAnother]

good; diplomatic immunity is a farce

[pegman]

1 hour ago, mrwebb8825 said:

Wonder if this new law will allow Jewish-Canadians to file a lawsuit and seize her family's assets as a human rights violator. 

Sure, why not, along with Israeli officials involved with that  apartheid's state's  illegal occupation of Palestinian lands.

[bangkokbanjo]

Sure, why not, along with Israeli officials involved with that  apartheid's state's  illegal occupation of Palestinian lands.

Right aftet hamas indescriminantly launching rockets, launching from schools, throwing gays from rooftops, using children ad suicide bombers etc. Of all the conflicts in the middle east, israel has the 2nd lowest death totals since 1948.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Scott]

Please stay on topic and the topic is not here to vent personal feelings about actions in other countries.