PUTIN'S RUSSIA = CRIMINAL STATE

BBC: Russia has now turned into a "criminal state", according to the man who was once its leading foreign investor.

Bill Browder of Hermitage Capital was reacting to the news that his lawyer had died in prison in Russia after being held for a year without charge.

He told the BBC that his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, had effectively been "held hostage and they killed their hostage."

Through Hermitage Capital Bill Browder campaigned against corruption at some of Russia's largest companies.

Russian officials say they are investigating Mr Magnitsky's death.

... In 2005 Mr Browder was banned from Russia as a threat to national security, after allegations that his firms evaded tax, but Mr Browder says his company was targeted by criminals trying to seize millions of pounds worth of his assets.

Mr Browder says he was punished for being a threat to corrupt politicians and bureaucrats.

...

"When Putin first showed up and said he was going to tame the oligarchs I was the biggest fan of that particular concept. Then I realised that what he meant by taming the oligarchs was by sticking law enforcement people in their place," he says.

"Now you have a bunch of law enforcement people who are essentially organised criminals with unlimited power to ruin lives take property and do whatever they like and that's far worse than I have ever seen in Russia before. Russia is essentially a criminal state now."

Mr Browder says he is going to do all he can to get justice for Sergei Magnitsky.

"We're not going to let it rest until the people responsible for the death face justice," he said.

MAGNITSKY WILL GET JUSTICE RIGHT AFTER LITVINENKO.

IOW: THEY HAVE AS MUCH CHANCE AS GETTING JUSTICE AS OBAMA HAS OF GETTING HIS RESET-BUDDY PUTIN TO VOTE FOR SEVERE SANCTIONS ON IRAN AT THE UNSC.

IOW: ZERO.

AS LONG AS PUTIN'S KGB RUNS RUSSIA, RUSSIA WILL BE A DANGEROUS CRIMINAL STATE AND INIMICAL TO THE WEST.