Inside Bill Browder’s War Against Putin | Hacker News Reader

Inside Bill Browder’s War Against Putin

vanityfair.com

39 pointsdevy16 comments

I recommend Bill Browder's book for a further backstory about how all of this came about. If you can get over the self-aggrandizing language, it's a really interesting perspective on business dealings amongst the elites in Russia.

https://www.amazon.com/Red-Notice-Finance-Murder-Justice/dp/...

Ah yes, Bill Browder, man who made his fortune making investments in Russia in the 1990s. Absolutely the sort of background that merits uncritical extolment in the prestige press. A likelier champion of freedom and justice you will not find.

Wow, a lot of snark for someone who literally has put his own life on the line to fight against the corruption that defines the Putin regime. But, easy to criticize from afar, I suppose.

The Magnitsky act is needed and brave, and would not exist w/o Browder. Can the dude get a little respect for that, at least?

Yes, it is possible that Browder is a noble soul, a "CEO turned human rights activist" tirelessly campaigning against corruption.

I think we (or more importantly, the press) should at least entertain the possibility that Browder's Yeltsin-era investments and subsequent financial arrangements in Russia were not entirely virtuous and that the Magnitsky Act sanctions are more about greed than concern for human rights.

> Browder's Yeltsin-era investments and subsequent financial arrangements in Russia were not entirely virtuous

Even if they're completely non-virtuous, how that can justify stealing from him and attempts to jail him?

Not one mention of the movie - by the top anti-Putin Russian director - “the magnitsky files”

It took me two years to find a bootleg copy of it, thanks to Bill Browders efforts to bury that film.

(Before anyone asks, yes I am a Putin-bot working in a Moscow farm. Now go watch the f%%ing movie)

Where did you find it? I’ve read some of the associated writing and didn’t find it convincing. But I would like to see the film.

I found it in onr of those dodgy YouTube wannabe sites. Can’t remember which.

Can you explain why Browder would bury this film, and how he's done so?

The documentary was funded by a Norwegian production company and directed by an anti-Putin filmmaker. The initial intention was to work with Browder to tell his story and raise awareness of the fate of his lawyer, Magnitsky. But the director, having started sympathetically, did a U-turn halfway through production when he found problems with the story Browder was feeding them, and actually confronted Browder on camera.

It seems that distribution and screening support for the film crumbled under threats of libel lawsuits. The Washington Post dismissed it as 'propaganda' in an editorial, although the curious thing is their editorial significantly misrepresents the content of the film.

It could be, of course, that this film-maker is really in Putin's pocket. Or that he just wanted to get attention and didn't care about the truth. But it does seem that points raised in the documentary have been dismissed rather than addressed, and Browder's overall conduct strikes me as suspicious.

Perhaps you could provide some more detail so others might be able to find it as well? For that matter, what's the name of the director? I'm assuming you are not referring to "The Magnitsky Act. Behind the Scenes"[0], right?

[0] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6028446

I think that is what the top commenter is referring to, see the story here: [0]

[0] https://consortiumnews.com/2017/10/28/guardians-of-the-magni...

This is exactly the movie he refers to.

For what it's worth, it's on TPB

Yes, most likely you're kremlinbot, spreading FUD around.

Movie by the 'top anti-Putin Russian director' is called "The Magnitsky Act. Behind the Scenes", not "The Magnitsky Files".

The support for claims "effort to bury that film" or "top anti-Putin director" is on you though.

And movie “The Magnitsky Files: Organized Crime Inside the Russian Government.” is a different movie and was presented by Browder itself: [0] (looks like it's a story from WaPo but I cannot open WaPo link, so here's the copy) [0} http://russian-untouchables.com/eng/2012/06/magnitsky-docume...

“Yes, most likely you're kremlinbot, spreading FUD around.”

I said as much.

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