Russian officials criticised after lawyer dies in jail

AN independent commission harshly criticised Russian authorities yesterday over the treatment of a lawyer who fought official corruption and died in prison.

Sergei Magnitsky was subjected to “physical and psychological pressure” and at times endured conditions that could be described as “torturous,” according to a report by the Moscow Public Oversight Commission, a new prison watchdog.

Magnitsky, 37, died last month after pancreatitis that he developed while in custody went untreated.