Russia's Continuing Disregard for the Rule of Law

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I want to bring to my colleagues' attention a September 8, 2014 article by David Clark, printed in the Huffington Post UK, entitled, ``The Unacceptable Face of Putinism''. In this troubling article, Mr. Clark comments on Russia's continued efforts to ignore, and in fact undermine, the rule of law. At the heart of this most recent demonstration is Putin crony, Igor Sechin, a former KGB operative-turned-Rosneft CEO, who, reportedly, upon losing an arbitration case at The Hague under the Energy Charter Treaty and being required to pay $50 billion in compensation to the majority shareholder of YUKOS Oil, threatened the plaintiff, Mr. Leonid Nevzlin.

The lawsuit stems from the Kremlin's act of taking over YUKOS Oil and imprisoning the company's top executives. As we watch Russia violate Ukraine's sovereignty through its annexation of Crimea and flout the international community's warnings about their actions in Eastern Ukraine, it is important to note that President Putin's government continues to violate the rule of law and must be held accountable. Russia must be required to live up to their international obligations, which includes compliance with rulings by The Hague as prescribed in the Energy Charter Treaty. The international community must ensure that Russia is held accountable for their actions and meets their responsibilities under the law. I hope my colleagues will take the time to read this article. [From the Huffington Post, UK, Sept. 8, 2014]

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