Watchdog

A lawyer representing the family of the deceased Russian whistle-blower Sergei Magnitsky remained hospitalized on March 22 after falling several stories from his apartment building, though Magnitsky's former employer said his condition had improved.

Lawyer Nikolai Gorokhov on March 21 suffered serious injuries after plunging at least four stories from his apartment building outside Moscow as he reportedly attempted to bring a hot tub into his home.

There was no indication from authorities that foul play was suspected in the incident, which occurred one day before he was due to appear in court in connection with the Magnitsky case.

Magnitsky's former employer, U.S.-born British investor Bill Browder, said a day earlier that Gorokhov had been "thrown from the fourth floor of his apartment building."

Browder said in a March 22 statement that Gorokhov's condition had been changed from critical to serious, and that he was able to speak with doctors earlier in the day.

Magnitsky's death in November 2009 while in pretrial detention in Moscow was the catalyst for a 2012 U.S. law, which Browder lobbied for, allowing sanctions against alleged Russian rights abusers.

Magnitsky's family and friends say he was jailed, tortured, and denied medical treatment that could have saved his life as retribution for accusing law-enforcement and tax officials of stealing $230 million from Russian coffers.