Support The Moscow Times!

Spain Arrests U.S.-Born Investor Browder on Russian Interpol Warrant

Bill Browder / Wikicommons

U.S.-born British fund manager and Kremlin critic Bill Browder was arrested in Spain on a Russian Interpol arrest warrant on Wednesday before being released later in the day.

Russia has labeled Browder a national security threat, banned him from the country in 2005 and tried him in absentia for tax evasion in 2013. Russia placed Browder on an Interpol wanted list last fall — its fifth attempt — after Interpol called it a misuse of the system and urged member states to ignore notices on Browder.

Browder tweeted on Wednesday that he was detained by Spanish police in Madrid on a police warrant.

https://twitter.com/Billbrowder/status/1001727885059743744

“They won’t tell me which station,” he wrote in a follow-up.

Browder’s efforts have helped the United States and other Western countries, including most recently the United Kingdom, pass legislation intending to punish Russian officials involved in or profiting from human rights abuses.

Later on Wednesday, Browder tweeted that he had been released by Spanish police after the "Interpol General Secretary in Lyon advised them not to honor the new Russian Interpol Red Notice."

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more