By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
A decision by Russian authorities to go ahead with the trial of a dead lawyer is yet another example of the "endless vendetta" against him, a U.S. congressman said Monday.
The House overwhelmingly passed a $633 billion defense bill for next year despite Pentagon complaints that it spares outdated but politically popular weapons at the expense of the military's ability to fight.
Thirty members of Congress this week urged President Obama to press Chinese President Hu Jintao to release two prominent human rights activists when he attends an economic summit in South Korea next month.
"While the Magnitsky Act aims to restrain gross violators of human rights and corrupt officials, the adoption ban targets the most vulnerable of Russia's own population," said Mr. McGovern, who introduced the Magnitsky bill in the House of Representatives. "The adoption ban came as a panicky and vindictive response of the Russian leadership to the Magnitsky Act."
"Unfortunately, the ordeal of Sergei Magnitsky did not end with his death," said Rep. James P. McGovern, Massachusetts Democrat. "All these malevolent moves make it clear that Russian leaders recognize that they no longer have the support of the people they govern, and so they must resort to scare tactics to try and keep the lid on dissent."
