“And the moment I met Kimberley on Zoom, everything started to happen.
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“She got the government to agree to do a Magnitsky Act and I understand that it will pass in the next two weeks and Australia will be the 34th country in the world to have a Magnitsky Act,” he said.
“We almost have the whole world covered,” he said.
Kitching paid tribute to her fellow “Wolverines” – Liberal China-hawks Senator James Paterson and Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie – as well as Foreign Minister Marise Payne and the former Labor MP Michael Danby who had pushed for an Australian Magnitsky Act before his retirement in 2016.
“We’ve never given up on having this law, it’s been delightful to find allies across the aisle and in the crossbench,” she said.
The bill is expected to pass before the Parliament rises for the year.
“I’m so grateful there are people like Bill Browder in the room and that had me thinking,” she said.
“So I am going to nominate Bill for the Nobel Peace Prize, as a member of a national assembly or a national parliament I am able to do so,” she said, to applause.
Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching announces she will nominate Bill Browder for a Nobel Peace Prize.Credit:Sean Pollock
Her seven-year-old daughter, Gabriella, read out a speech from her mother who she hasn’t seen in years.
Richard Ratcliffe and his seven-year-old daughter Gabriella accepting a Magnitsky Human Rights Award on behalf of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe who is detained in Iran.Credit:Sean Pollock
“It makes my heart melt to see my daughter, now big enough to receive this award and to read these words,” Gabriella read.
“One day may we live in a world where we do not need to fight for our freedom but thank you to all of you for walking next to us while we still need to do this fight and for still reminding us that freedom is one day closer,” he said.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been freed from prison but remains under house arrest in Iran.
Australian Senator to nominate Bill Browder for Nobel Peace Prize
Source: Philippines Alive
