Senator John McCain was welcomed to the Principality by Minister of State Michel Roger. © Charly Gallo, Centre de Presse

The annual session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) attracted a number of international delegates, including the Vietnam War veteran and Republican Senator from Arizona.

McCain was one of an overwhelming majority who supported a resolution for a rule of law on Russia and the case of Sergei Magnitsky. “What happened to him was an horrific crime, but it was also an extreme example of the pervasive and systemic corruption in the Russian government,” McCain said during his address. “To this day, not one person has been held responsible for Sergei’s death, despite investigations that showed his arrest was illegal and that his treatment amounted to torture,” he continued.

Sergei Magnitsky was a lawyer working for the UK-based hedge fund Hermitage Capital Management, when he found that a criminal conspiracy had used the fund to reclaim $230 million (187 million euros) in taxes – the largest tax rebate in Russian history. Magnitsky’s testimony implicated police, the judiciary, tax officials, bankers and the Russian mafia. He was then accused of colluding with Hermitage and held for 11 months without trial. Eight days before he would have to have been released, he died after being refused medical treatment.

During the Monaco assembly, only delegates from Russia and Belarus refused a motion to ban visas for the 60 officials believed to be connected to Magnitsky's death. Various bans have been implemented in the United States and the European Union since 2010.

“I know some people will try to paint this resolution as anti-Russia, but I couldn’t disagree more. I believe it’s pro-Russia... and it represents the future that most Russians want for themselves and their country,” said McCain.

Around 250 parliamentarians came together for five days from 5th July to 9th July, with other debates focussing on military action, economics and the environment.

Cassandra Tanti